Please Stay
by SVUCSIWTRDOOLluver
Summary: Mainly Rachel/Finn story that begins with ND at Regionals, with a tragedy occurring that shakes the entire Club. Can they deal with the loss and try to bring the evil person who's responsible to justice? What happens in the aftermath, after the big shocker, will Finchel ultimately survive? What happens when that evil person is still running amok? Chapter 32 is up!
1. I Won't Let Go

**My very first Glee story! This starts out at Regionals (speaking of which I cannot wait for the new episode! Since I haven't seen it, obviously no spoilers for it). Sebastian plays a huge part in this, and he might be a little OOC but all I know about him is that he's evil, and that's how I portrayed him in this story. Warning: this is extremely sad and heartbreaking for our Glee characters, especially Finn.**

**Oh and PS: I OWN NOTHING!**

**Enjoy!**

Regionals had finally arrived, and New Directions were sitting in their designated room, just waiting for their cue to go on. Rachel got up and Finn rose too until she said with a gentle smile, "I'm going to the bathroom, Finn, you don't have to follow me," He grinned sheepishly and sat back down as she left the room.

As she reached the bathroom, a familiar voice could be heard from behind her. "So you've decided to compete,"

She spun around and saw Sebastian walking towards her. "Yes. You can't scare me off, Sebastian, I don't care what kind of pictures you post on the internet."

"Yeah, I figured as much. I decided to go for something a little more personal this time to get you to not compete," Sebastian said, getting close to her.

"Like what?" She asked, her hands on her hips.

He just smiled evilly at her and thrust the knife that he had into her chest. Her eyes widened with shock and pain as she slowly dropped to the ground. Sebastian quickly stepped away and as he passed by the New Directions room, he yelled,

"Someone might want to go check on Rachel,"

Finn immediately got to his feet but Mr. Schue held his hand up. "I'll go, Finn, I'm done dealing with this Sebastian boy,"

Mr. Schue walked up to the girls bathroom and saw a group of people crowding around someone lying on the floor. He could hear them whispering things like,

"I called 911,"

"She looks bad,"

"Is she in one of the clubs?"

"Who would've done this?"

"Isn't that Rachel Berry?"

At the last question, he shoved past everyone and stopped in his tracks. There was Rachel Barbra Berry, lying there on the cold, hard floor with a knife handle sticking out of her chest. Blood soaked her dress and was pooling on the floor.

"Rachel!" Mr. Schue bellowed, and he immediately knelt by her and grabbed the handle of the knife.

"No!" Someone called, reaching over and stopping Mr. Schue from pulling the knife out. "You pull that knife out and she's going to bleed to death,"

Mr. Schue's shaking hands relinquished the knife and instead circled the wound, trying to keep any more blood from spilling. "Stay with me, Rachel," He said in a worried voice, and she opened her eyes.

"Mr. Schue…" She gasped, and he shook his head.

"No, Rachel, don't talk,"

"Hurts…so bad…" Rachel breathed out, his fists clenched at her sides.

"I know, Rach, I know," Mr. Schue kept glancing around for the paramedics, and to his relief they came jogging up a few moments later. One of them shoved him out of the way but he grabbed onto one of her hands and she squeezed tightly, refusing to let go.

"Sir, you need to let us take her to the ambulance," One of the medics said as they put her on a stretcher. He jogged along with the stretcher and when they reached the ambulance, he leaned over and looked Rachel straight in the eyes.

"You fight, Rachel Barbra Berry, you hear me? You fight for your life as if it's the audition for Elphaba on Broadway," Mr. Schue demanded, and he was relieved to see the familiar spark in her eyes.

"I will," She promised, and then he let her hand slip through his as they loaded her onto the ambulance.

"Where are you taking her?"

"Cleveland Receiving," Another medic said and then hopped into the ambulance. Quickly Mr. Schue ran back to the New Directions room, and when he stepped into the room there was a piercing shriek from Mercedes.

"Oh my God, Mr. Schue, are you okay?" Finn asked with wide eyes, and he held his hands up.

"It's not my blood, guys," He said hoarsely, and Kurt immediately asked,

"Whose is it?"

He took a long look at all of the faces of his Glee club, and then said in a quiet voice, "It's Rachel's."

"No," Finn whispered, staggering back. Puck and Blaine managed to grab onto him before he fell backwards, and Mr. Schue explained,

"She was lying by the girls bathroom with a knife in her chest. She's being taken to the closest hospital and we will all go after we perform."

"I can't lose her," Finn mumbled, sitting down on the couch.

"I know it's hard when your girlfriend is fighting for her life, Finn, but…" Mr. Schue started to say, but he didn't get to finish his sentence.

"How much time do we have?" Santana suddenly asked, and Mr. Schue looked at the clock.

"About three hours, why?"

"Because I think we need to ditch our song list," Santana said firmly, and Blaine saw where she was coming from.

"Santana's right. We need to help Rachel fight for her life."

"Sounds good. Let's get to work," Mercedes ordered, and the New Directions buckled down and started hashing ideas out. Finn sat there for the longest moment and then grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil and started writing furiously.

After an hour, the group had come up with two songs. Now all they needed was a ballad of some kind. Finn spoke up and said, "I wrote something, I don't know if it's any good," He passed it to Blaine.

"This is perfect," Blaine said, glancing at Finn. Everyone else thought so too, and they started working on choreography. Before they had to get ready to go onstage, they had a whole new song list worked out.

"I'm so proud of you guys, win or lose," Mr. Schue told them as they waited backstage.

"We're doing this for Rachel," Kurt said firmly, and everyone nodded their agreement. New Directions were called to the stage, and Finn took a deep breath, glanced toward the ceiling and then stepped out onto the stage, heading to the microphone.

"This is for Rachel Barbra Berry."

"_If I got on my knees_

_And I pleaded with you_

_Not to go but to stay in my arms_

_Would you walk_

_Out the door?_

_Like you did_

_Once before_

_This time_

_Be different_

_Please stay_

_Don't go_

_If I called out your name_

_Like a prayer_

_Would you leave me alone with my tears_

_Knowing I_

_Need you so_

_Would you still  
>Turn and go<em>

_This time_

_Be different_

_Please stay_

_Don't go_

_Please stay_

_I loved you before_

_I even knew your name_

_And I wanted to give you my heart_

_But then you came back_

_After leaving me one time_

_I knew that the heartache would start_

_If I called out your name_

_Like a song_

_That was written for you_

_You alone_

_Would you still_

_Hurt my pride_

_Oh hey_

_How I cry_

_This time_

_Be different_

_Please stay_

_Please stay_

_Don't go_

_Please stay_

_Don't go_

_Please stay"_

He received a standing ovation and he stepped back, joining Puck, Blaine, Kurt, Mike, Sam and Artie, who had sung backup vocals. Finn quickly wiped the tears from his face and Blaine, the closest person to him, touched his shoulder in support. The guys prepared themselves for the next number, and then the music started.

They sang and danced their way through a mash-up of "When You Come Back To Me Again" and "I Won't Let Go"

When New Directions finished their performance, Mr. Schue came on stage, clapping hard and tears streaming down his face. He grabbed the microphone and reached over, placing his hand on Finn's shoulder.

"If anyone didn't know, there was an incident that happened outside of the girl's bathroom earlier, and Miss Rachel Berry, a member of our New Directions, was rushed to the hospital because she was stabbed in the chest. In case any of you know her, I hate to be the bearer of terrible news but the hospital has informed me that…" His voice broke and he had to collect himself for a moment. "Rachel's gone."

"NO!" Finn bellowed, instantly backing away from Mr. Schue, his eyes wide and disbelieving.

"I'm so sorry, Finn,"

"It's not true!" Finn yelled before his back hit the wall and he slid down, sobs wracking his frame. Kurt hurried over to his step-brother with his own tears streaming down his cheeks. Puck staggered back at Mr. Schue's words and covered his eyes with his hands, bowing his head and saying a Jewish prayer under his breath for his little Jew Princess. Mercedes let out a wail and Sam immediately hugged her, tears in his own eyes. She sobbed on his shoulder while even Santana covered her eyes. She and Brittany hugged while Quinn just sat on the ground, shock written all over her face. Tina and Mike were in each other's arms while Tina was crying softly, and Blaine was standing there, frozen. Artie had his fist in front of his mouth, obviously trying not to cry.

Everyone in the audience could felt the Glee club's grief as they mourned the loss of one of their own. Mr. Schue wiped his eyes and a sob shook his shoulders before he managed to pull it together and walked over to Finn. "We have to get off the stage," He said quietly to Kurt, and together they pulled Finn upright. Blaine wordlessly followed them off the stage, along with Mercedes and Sam. Quinn still sat there until Brittney and Santana walked over to her and pulled her to her feet. Together the three girls walked off the stage, and then Tina, Mike and Artie followed. Puck was last, with a lost, broken look on his face.

Mr. Schue led them to their room, and as soon as he shut the door Santana started cursing in Spanish. "That _hijo de brujo_ killed her!" Santana shrieked, leaping at the door. Mr. Schue stood in front of it and wouldn't let her out as she banged on the wood and yelled, "I want his f**king blood!"

**Sorry, forgot to warn about that one bad word that I used, but I figured it was in Santana's character. Well, what do you think? I hated to kill Rachel, but I had to for the plot of the story. Don't worry, this story is at least 10 chapters long, something else is gonna happen.**

**Next chapter: We find out who won Regionals and dealing with the loss of Rachel Barbra Berry.**

**Thanks so much for reading, I hope you liked it!**


	2. Feeling The Loss

**Chapter 2 is up! After watching the winter finale of Glee (HOLY CRAP THAT WAS EPIC! I can't believe we have to wait 6 freaking weeks!) Anyways, after watching that I realize that Sebastian is really not as evil as I thought, but he's still going to be in this episode just because in here, something with Karofsky never really happened. (I don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't watched it yet). **

**Anyways, this is feeling the loss of Rachel Barbra Berry, just as the title implies. I don't own anything!**

**Enjoy!**

"What are you talking about Santana?" Mr. Schue asked, and Kurt strode up to him, angry tears glittering in his eyes.

"Isn't it obvious? Who was the one that told us to go look for Rachel?"

"Sebastian?" Mr. Schue queried with a disbelieving look on his face.

"He threw rock salt in Blaine's eyes, I wouldn't put anything past that evil boy," Kurt ground out, and Brittany came over to pull Santana away from the door.

"The police will prove it was him, Santana, he won't get away with it," Brittney said soothingly, though her voice wobbled a bit.

Finn was sitting in the corner, his head bowed, not saying a word. "We were supposed to be together forever," He whispered to himself, but since the room had fallen silent everyone heard him.

"I'm sorry, Finn," Blaine said, putting his hand on Finn's shoulder.

"We were gonna get married," Finn mumbled, tears blurring his vision.

"What?" Blaine asked in shock, and there was a collective gasp from around the room.

"A few weeks ago I asked Rachel to marry me, and she said yes," Finn explained, blinking hard.

"Oh God," Kurt said, covering his face. Mr. Schue walked over to the broken Finn and pulled him into a hug. Finn let himself bawl on Mr. Schue's shoulder for a long minute and then there was a knock at the door.

"There're ready to give out the awards," A timid voice said from the doorway, and then the messenger boy quickly disappeared. Mr. Schue kept his supporting arm around Finn and looked at his Glee club, all of whom had red-rimmed eyes.

"Let's go, guys,"

They all trooped onto the stage, and finally the Glee groups were all on stage, and the announcer was about to give out the first place award.

"And the first place trophy goes to…" Sebastian glanced over at the grieving Glee club and Mr. Schue almost swore he saw a self-satisfied smirk on the boy's face before the announcer yelled, "New Directions!"

There was a moment of silence and then New Directions started freaking out. Mr. Schue took the trophy and raised it towards the ceiling, saying loudly, "This one's for you, Rach," New Directions bowed their heads for a minute and even the audience fell silent in a moment of silence for Rachel Berry. Then they started to clap, and Mr. Schue passed the trophy around.

He glanced over and saw Sebastian glaring at New Directions, and he could've sworn that the boy's eyes looked genuinely evil, but then he convinced himself it was just a trick of the stage light. Eventually everyone was ushered off the stage and into the buses to head for home.

Mr. Schue glanced back at his club and saw Mercedes and Sam sitting together, and Brittany and Santana sitting together. He looked to the other side and saw Kurt and Blaine, and Tina and Mike. Quinn was sitting alone, as was Finn and Puck. As Mr. Schue watched, he saw Puck glance at Quinn and then at Finn, and he glanced at the bus driver before hopping across the aisle and sliding into the seat next to Quinn. He reached forward and squeezed Finn's shoulder, and his other arm slid around Quinn's shoulders, letting her cry into his chest.

When the bus pulled up at McKinley, Mr. Schue stood up. "I'm going to go over to Rachel's house and offer her dads my condolences, if any of you want to come,"

"I do," Finn spoke quietly, and Mr. Schue nodded. He watched sadly as all of New Directions filed off the bus, everyone looking broken and miserable. Finn was the last one off and he climbed in Mr. Schue's car. They headed for the Berry household, and as soon as Mr. Schue knocked on the door, Leroy opened it.

"Mr. Berry, I'm so sorry," Mr. Schue said, his voice breaking. Leroy just hugged the teacher and Finn stood there with his hands in his pockets.

"Oh, Finn," Hiram said, coming outside and hugging the love of his daughter's life.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Mr. Berry," Finn mumbled, and Hiram patted his back.

"It's your loss too, Finn, you're allowed to grieve just as much as we were."

Finn nodded and managed to choke back his tears. Before he had asked Rachel to marry him, he went to her dads first to ask permission. They had been astonished and completely against the idea at first, but Finn convinced them that he was going to love Rachel for the rest of his life and that they wouldn't get married right away. He told them that he wanted to cement their relationship before going to New York, and her dads couldn't argue with that. They had given Finn their blessing, and they knew how hard it was for Finn to go through losing her. Nearly as hard as it was for them to go through losing their only child.

"Mr. Berry, can I, may I go up to Rachel's room? Just for a minute?" Finn asked, and Leroy nodded.

"Of course,"

Finn made his way up the stairs and took a deep breath before pushing the door to her room open. He expelled his deep breath in one blow and had to fight back tears as he stepped into the room that Rachel Berry would never occupy again. He walked around, smiling at some of the pictures on her wall and feeling tears slide down his cheeks when he saw the gold stars everywhere and the stuffed dog he got for her on their first anniversary lying on her bed, the only one there.

He noticed there was a piece of paper in her printer by her laptop, and he pulled it out, seeing that it was printed from some kind of computer diary that Rachel had been keeping. Finn spotted his name in the printout and read it.

When he finished, he sank to his knees and sobbed his heart out, crying Rachel's name and begging her to come back to him. Eventually he pulled himself together and walked back downstairs. He saw Hiram, Leroy and Mr. Schue with red-rimmed eyes, looking at all of the family pictures in the living room. Finn silently joined them and he heard Leroy say,

"The police were here, they said that they would release Rachel's body to us in a few days, as soon as the autopsy is complete," His voice shook, and Hiram wrapped his arm around Leroy.

"We'll let you know when the funeral is,"

"I appreciate it. I'm sure the Glee club would like to sing at Rachel's funeral, I know I do,"

"Me too," Finn spoke suddenly, and Leroy looked at him.

"Of course. Rachel would've wanted that." He said quietly, and Mr. Schue said,

"Just so you know, we won Regionals tonight and we're headed to Nationals. We dedicated our performance to her, and we won because of her."

Hiram's eyes filled with tears as Leroy started sobbing. "Let's go," Mr. Schue said to Finn, and with a few more hugs they left the grieving couple to mourn the loss of their daughter.

"Thanks for taking me home, Mr. Schue," Finn mumbled, and Mr. Schue nodded.

"It's not a problem, Finn. I know you loved Rachel, and I know it may seem like you can't go on without her, but it gets better in time, I promise you,"

Finn just nodded and shut the door. Mr. Schue rolled the window down and said, "Call me anytime if you need to talk, Finn, anytime at all,"

"Thanks," Finn called back and stepped into his house. He saw Kurt and Blaine sitting on the couch, and he sat down next to Kurt.

"You okay?" Blaine asked him, and Finn shook his head. He showed them the entry that Rachel had written, and Kurt silently hugged his step-brother.

"Mr. Schue said that it gets better with time, but I don't want to move on, Kurt, I never want to love anyone else, the only person I'm ever going to want is Rachel," Finn sobbed, and Kurt held him tightly.

"I know, Finn, I know,"

Finn pulled back and wiped his eyes, nearly hating himself for the number of breakdowns he had had in the past few hours alone. "I can't believe that son of a bitch killed her," Blaine muttered, his hands clenching into fists. "I can't believe I used to think he was my friend," He added softly, and Kurt realized why Blaine was beating himself up.

"It is not your fault, Blaine Anderson, that Sebastian is an evil thing that suddenly escalated to killing innocent teenagers. That is on Sebastian's shoulder, and his alone."

"But I hadn't been friends with him, maybe he would've left New Directions alone, and Rachel wouldn't be dead!" Blaine got to his feet, pacing back and forth.

"Blaine, what would Rachel say if she saw you like this?" Finn suddenly asked, getting to his feet and stepping in Blaine's pacing path.

"She'd most likely shake me, maybe even slap me," Blaine muttered, and Finn nodded.

"Exactly. She's dead because of Sebastian, and nothing we do or say can change that. All we can do is honor her memory and make sure we never, ever forget about her. She'll always be in our hearts, and that is something even death can't change."

"Well said," Burt Hummel said from the doorway to the kitchen, with Carole standing right next to him.

"Dad, can Blaine stay the night? It's way too late for him to be driving home," Kurt asked, and Burt glanced at Carole before nodding.

"All right but he's gotta sleep in Finn's room. You know the rules."

"I know," Kurt said with a nod. When Rachel slept over, she stayed in Kurt's room. It was a rule in the Hummel-Hudson household, when the boy/girlfriend came over, he/she slept in the other person's room. And since they all knew and liked each other, it wasn't awkward at all.

"I gotta call my mom," Blaine said, pulling his cell phone out. "She's gonna be devastated, she and Rachel always got along so well," He said to himself as he walked out of the room to talk to his mom.

**End of chapter 2! This was seriously a depressing chapter to write, so there may be light at the end of the tunnel in the next chapter. I'll post it as soon as I get it finished!**

**Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading!**


	3. Broken

**Third chapter has been posted! Okay, so I lied about light at the end of the tunnel, it just didn't fit in with this chapter since it's Rachel's funeral. The girls sing something, the boys sing something, Mr. Schue sings something and Finn sings something. I would've added something for Kurt, but I just couldn't find the right song to use. Maybe I'll add it later, with him singing by himself for her. Any suggestions?**

**PS: I don't own anything!**

**Enjoy!**

The funeral was a week later, and the entire Glee club was frustrated to learn that there wasn't a single lead in Rachel's murder investigation. They all rehearsed their songs for the funeral, and finally the day arrived. Everyone dressed casually in black, and none of the girls bothered with make-up. Tears were sure to be flowing that day, and make-up would just smear and smudge and eventually end up looking terrible.

The girls stood up first and stood in a line with each other, Brad began to play the piano and Santana and Brittany sang,

"_Na na, na na na na na,"_

Mercedes jumped in now, singing, _"I miss you, miss you so bad, I don't forget you, oh it's so sad,"_

It was Tina's turn now, and she sang, _"I hope you can hear me,"_

Quinn sang, _"I remember it clearly,"_

They all sang the chorus, "_The day, you slipped away, was the day, I found it won't be the same,"_

Brittany sang, _"I've had my wake-up"_ and Santana jumped in next with,

"_Won't you wake-up?"_

Quinn sang sadly, _"I keep asking why,"_

Tina held back tears as she sang, _"And I can't take it,"_

Mercedes sang next with, _"it wasn't fake it,"_

All the girls joined together with, _"It happened, you passed by,"_

They all traded off and sang harmony with,

"_Now you're gone_

_Now you're gone_

_Now you've gone_

_Now you've gone_

Mercedes sang in a heartbreaking voice, _"Somewhere I can't bring you back"_

_Now you're gone_

_Now you're gone_

_Now you've gone_

_Now you've gone_

Santana held Brittany's hand tightly as she sang, _"Somewhere you're not coming back"_

The girls sang together for the last chorus,

"_The day, you slipped away_

_Was the day I found it won't be the same_

_No_

_The day you slipped away_

_Was the day I found it won't be the same_

_No…"_

They all wiped their tears and linked hands, singing the last words in unison,

"_Na na, na na na na na,_

_I miss you…"_

They all went to sit down amid the applause, and then all of the boys got up to sing their number. They took their positions and the music to "What Hurts The Most" started to play.

Finn started off singing the opening lyric, _"I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house_

_That don't bother me"_

Kurt stepped up next to him and sang, _"I can take a few tears now and then and just let 'em out"_

Blaine took a few steps forward and took Kurt's hand, singing _"I'm not afraid to cry, every once"_

Artie rolled to the front, singing, _"In a while, even though"_

Next Mike stepped up, opening his mouth and singing, _"Going on, with you gone"_

Sam was strumming his guitar as he took a few steps forward, singing, _"Still upsets me, there are days"_

Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand as he sang again, _"Every now, and again"  
><em>

Puck was strumming a guitar as well as he stepped forward and sang, _"I pretend, I'm okay"_

They all sang together, _"But that's not what gets me"_

Together all of the boys sang the chorus, some of the harmonizing and some of them singing background,

"_What hurts the most_

_Was being so close_

_And having so much to say_

_And watching you walk away_

_And never knowing _

_What could've been_

_And not seeing that loving you_

_Is what I was trying to do"_

Puck grabbed his electric guitar and started playing the solo, tears slipping down his cheeks as he remembered when he first sang a solo in Glee club, and that that solo had been for Rachel.

Finn squeezed his eyes shut as he sang,_ "What hurts the most"_

Kurt wrapped his arm around his step-brother and sang, _"Was being so close"_

Blaine was next, a tear dripping down his cheek as he sang, _"And having so much to say"_

Mike sang the next line, _"And watching you walk away"_

Artie wheeled next to Mike, singing, _"And never knowing"_

Sam kept playing his guitar as he sang, _"What could've been"_

Puck strummed the last few notes on his guitar, singing, _"And not seeing that loving you"_

Finn finished the song with,_ "That's what I was trying to do"_

Mr. Schue finished clapping softly and got to his feet. He stood at the podium and said, "Rachel Berry was one of my students, and she was definitely one of the brightest stars that I ever saw. She shined in the Glee club, maybe so much that people were afraid of her talent, and they put her down for it. I'm proud to stand here and say that she stood up to all of that bullying, and she fought back. I believe with all my heart and soul that Rachel Berry belonged on Broadway, but her chance was stolen away far too soon. This song's for you, Rachel, an apology and a hope that you are happy wherever you are,"

The music started to "Hear You Me" by Jimmy Eats World, and Mr. Schue stood at the podium, singing,

"_There's no one in town I know_

_You gave us someplace to go_

_I never said thank you for that_

_I thought I might get once more chance_

_And what would you think of me now_

_So lucky, so strong, so proud_

_I never said thank you for that_

_Now I'll never have the chance_

_May angels lead you in_

_Hear you me my friend_

_On sleepless roads the sleepless go_

_May angels lead you in_

_And what would you think of me now_

_So lucky, so strong, so proud_

_I never said thank you for that_

_Now I'll never have the chance_

_May angels lead you in_

_Hear you me my friend_

_On sleepless roads the sleepless go_

_May angels lead you in_

_May angels lead you in_

_May angels lead you in_

_And if you were with me tonight_

_I'd sing to you just one more time_

_A song for a heart so big"_

Mr. Schue's voice broke as he bowed his head for a minute and then sang emotionally,

"_God couldn't let it live_

_May angels lead you in_

_Hear you me my friend_

_On sleepless roads the sleepless go_

_May angels lead you in_

_May angels lead you in_

_Hear you me my friend_

_On sleepless roads the sleepless go_

_May angels lead you in_

_On sleepless roads the sleepless go_

_May angels lead you in_

_On sleepless roads the sleepless go_

_May angels lead you in"_

Mr. Schue sat down next to Emma and Finn, wiping his eyes and his shoulder shaking with sobs. This had been the first student that had he had lost, so to speak, and it hit him hard. The other teachers sometimes sat in the lounge and talked about students that had died in the past, and they all warned him that the first was the worst. Back then he thought they were just being morbid, but now he knew. Mr. Schue had to brace himself for the worst part: going to class and seeing Rachel's empty chair.

Finn suddenly got to his feet and walked up to the podium. "Rachel was the love of my life. I…I asked her to marry me a few weeks ago, and she said yes. We were going to be together for the rest of our lives, until she was taken away. I wasn't going to sing another song by myself, but I owe it to Rachel. She always told me that I was better than I thought I was, always. She probably wouldn't have liked this song, it's not a Broadway tune or anything, but it's one of my favorites. This one's for you, Rach," He said with tears in his eyes, glancing at the casket. "Love you," He whispered, and then the music to "Broken" by Seether started to play.

"_I wanted you to know_

_That I love the way you laugh_

_I wanna hold you high and steal your pain_

_Away_

_I keep your photograph_

_And I know it serves me well_

_I wanna hold you high and steal your pain_

'_Cuz I'm broken_

_When I'm lonesome_

_And I don't feel right_

_When you're gone away_

_You've gone away_

_You don't feel me here_

_Anymore_

'_Cuz I'm broken_

_When I'm open_

_And I don't feel right_

_I am strong enough_

'_Cuz I'm broken_

_When I'm lonesome_

_And I don't feel right_

_When you're gone away_

'_Cuz I'm broken_

_When I'm lonesome_

_And I don't feel right_

_When you're gone_

_You've gone away_

_You don't feel me here_

_Anymore"_

Finn wiped away tears and managed to sit down before dropping his head into his hands and grieving for the loss of the love of his life. "Why, Kurt? Why?" He begged, and Kurt shook his head.

"No one knows, Finn, no one knows why,"

The funeral service concluded and Hiram and Leroy stood up, announcing that Rachel's burial would be private and for family only. Many people shuffled out of the door and towards the room where a light lunch was going to be served. The Glee club stood up and made to leave, but Hiram hurried forward.

"All of you are welcome to come with us to the cemetery," When Mr. Schue started to protest, Hiram placed his hand on Finn's shoulder. "You were all Rachel's family. I don't want any of you to feel obligated to come, though…"

"I'll come," Finn said suddenly, and Leroy nodded.

"Of course. You would have been true family one day anyways, Finn,"

Finn just nodded and everyone else in the Glee club decided to go to the cemetery. Kurt suddenly caught up to Rachel's dads and asked if the Glee club kids could do one more song for Rachel, after the casket was placed in the ground.

"Of course," When Kurt told him what song they were going to sing, tears came to their eyes.

**Any ideas on what the song will be? It's one that Glee has already sang, more specifically one that Rachel has always sang and one of her favorites. But I promise, pinky-promise, cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die that there will be a bit of light at the end of the tunnel in the next chapter. I'll post it as soon as possible!**

**Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!**


	4. Big Secret

**This is the fourth chapter, and I didn't lie this time, there actually is light at the end of the tunnel! I've gotta find a better phrase to use, that one's just getting old. Anyways, this is the burial of Rachel's casket, and the entire club sings one last song for her.**

**Enjoy!**

At the cemetery, it took a while for Rachel's casket to make its way into the ground. When it hit earth, Finn's knees buckled and he dropped down, tears sliding down his cheeks. Kurt fought back tears as he pulled out a tuner and played the opening note to "Don't Rain On My Parade" by Barbra Streisand. Slowly the Glee club sang a stripped down version of the song, and Finn got to his feet and sang along, wiping the tears off of his face.

"_Don't tell me not to live_

_Just sit and putter_

_Life's candy and the sun's a ball of butter_

_Don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade_

_Don't tell me not to fly_

_I've simply got to_

_If someone takes a spill it's me and not you_

_Who told you you're allowed to rain on my parade_

_I'll march my band out_

_I'll beat my drum_

_And if I'm fanned out_

_Your turn at bat sir_

_At least I didn't fake it_

_Hat sir_

_I guess I didn't make it_

_But whether I'm the rose of sheer perfection_

_Or freckle on the nose of life's complexion_

_The cinder or the shiny apple of its eye_

_I gotta fly once_

_I gotta try once_

_Only can die once_

_Right sir_

_Oh life is juicy, juicy, and you see_

_I gotta have my bite sir_

_Get ready for me love_

'_Cause I'm a comer_

_I simple gotta march_

_My heart's a drummer_

_Don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade_

_I'm gonna live and live now_

_Get what I want I know how_

_One roll for the whole she-bang_

_One throw, that bell will go clang_

_Eye on the target and wham_

_One shot, one gunshot and BAM_

_Hey Mr. Armstein_

_Here I am_

_I'll march my band out_

_I'll beat my drum_

_And if I'm fanned out_

_You're turn at bat sir_

_At least I didn't fake it_

_Hat sir_

_I guess I didn't make it_

_Get ready for me love _

'_Cause I'm a comer_

_I simple gotta march_

_My heart's a drummer_

_No-body no no-body_

_Is gonna_

_Rain on my parade"_

When the Glee club finished, all of them were crying. Leroy and Hiram supported each other as they walked off towards their car, and slowly all the Glee members followed them.

None of them ended up going to the light lunch, though Mr. Schue did. He told all of them to call him for anything, even if they just wanted to talk. He heard Blaine said firmly as they all walked to their respective cars, "We're going to win Nationals this year. For Rachel."

He agreed wholeheartedly with Blaine, and he walked off to his car with a lighter heart.

A few weeks later, Mr. Schue decided to drop by the Berry household and see how Mr. and Mr. Berry were holding up. He knocked on the door and LeRoy answered it. "Mr. Schuester," LeRoy said, shaking his hand.

"Please call me Will, Mr. Berry,"

"Then you must call me LeRoy. Come in, come in," He said, leading the way into his living room. Hiram was sitting at the piano, brushing his hands across the keys without playing a note. "Hiram, we've got a visitor," LeRoy said quietly, and Hiram looked up.

"Mr. Schuester, how are you?" Hiram said, hastily rising to his feet and walking over to his husband and Mr. Schuester.

"Call me Will, Mr. Berry, and I'm fine. How are you doing?"

"It's Hiram, and I'm doing okay,"

"You must stay for dinner, Will, I'm making vegetable lasagna," LeRoy said, disappearing into the kitchen.

"It's Rachel's favorite," Hiram said quietly, and Will nodded.

"I'd love to stay, if it's not a bother to you,"

"Not at all. LeRoy always makes more than necessary," Hiram said, and Will nodded understandably.

LeRoy came back into the living room a few minutes later and sat down next to his husband. "Finn, Kurt and Blaine came by for dinner a few days ago, and about a week ago Burt and Carole came by too," LeRoy said, and Hiram nodded.

"Sounds like the two of you have had quite the number of dinner parties," Will joked, and both LeRoy and Hiram smiled. He glanced at the two men and made a decision. "New Directions needs to pick out our songs for Nationals, and usually we have a nominating party somewhere…" Will began, and Hiram said,

"Would you like to have it here? I'm sure LeRoy would love to cook,"

"Of course, you must have it here," LeRoy said, and Will smiled.

"That would be perfect."

Just then, the timer dinged in the kitchen. "Dinner is ready!" LeRoy announced as he swept into the kitchen. Will and Hiram walked into the dining room just as LeRoy set the lasagna on the table. Dinner was a quiet affair, and afterwards they all retired back to the living room.

"Have you and Miss Pillsbury set a date yet?" LeRoy asked, and Will shook his head, saying,

"No, her parents are still dragging their feet," Hiram hastily excused himself and Will looked concerned. "Was it something I said?"

LeRoy sighed and shook his head. "No, he's just guilt-ridden over what we did to Rachel. When we found out that they were engaged, we pretended to be completely on board. I came up with the idea that Rachel would do the opposite of whatever we were for, so we decided reverse psychology would be the best in this situation. Now, all he can think is that the last thing we did to our daughter was lie to her, and that's something that was never condoned in this household. He was never completely on-board with the whole thing, he has nothing to feel guilty about,"

"You were doing it for her, LeRoy, Rachel wouldn't hold it against you, either of you,"

"Well, we'll never know now, will we?" LeRoy said quietly, and Will just reached over and squeezed his shoulder comfortingly.

"If there's ever anything you two need, just let me know, okay?"

"Thank you, Will. And give us a call about that nominating songs party so we can plan it all out," LeRoy replied, leading him to the door. Hiram came back out to say goodbye, his eyes red-rimmed. When Will walked out, LeRoy rubbed his face, saying in a quiet voice,

"I miss our baby, Hiram,"

Hiram pulled his husband into an embrace and they both cried together as Hiram said sadly, "Me too, LeRoy, me too,"

Little did any of them know, there was a big secret being kept by the FBI at that very moment…

"Well, well, Sleeping Beauty is finally awake," A voice said, and the girl he was walking about blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to focus on the two men sitting next to her bed.

"Who are you?" She asked in confusion, and one of them showed her his badge.

"I'm Special Agent Aaron Hotchner, and this joker is Special Agent Derek Morgan,"

"Where am I? And why are there two FBI guys in my room? Where's Finn? Where're my dads? Where's everyone else?" The girl shot off, and Agent Hotchner held up his hands.

"Slow down. We're going to have to tell you what happened from the beginning, since you've been unconscious for about two months,"

"Seriously?" The girl couldn't believe it.

"Yes. Do you remember anything?"

"Yes, I remember everything about me, and I remember getting a knife shoved into my chest."

"Good, no memory loss," Agent Morgan said approvingly, and Agent Hotchner nodded.

"Okay, Miss Berry,"

"Please, it's Rachel. I've always hated it when people called me Miss Berry. When my dads got mad at me they would yell 'Miss Rachel Barbra Berry!'"

"Well, Rachel, when you got stabbed, you nearly died. And I mean they were going to give up trying to shock your heart back into beating when suddenly you started breathing again and you survived. The bad news is that everyone you know believes you're dead."

There was a long pause, and then Rachel screamed, "WHAT?"

"Just listen to me, Rachel, the boy that stabbed you, Sebastian? He's a psychopath. You are his tenth victim."

"But he's my age," Rachel breathed, and Agent Morgan nodded.

"Yes. Wherever he moves, he finds someone to hate and kills them. And apparently now he's picked your Glee club,"

"That still doesn't explain why you told everyone I know that I'm dead,"

"If Sebastian believes you are dead, that buys us some time to protect everyone else in the club. He waits a few months between kills, we don't know why but we are sure of that. If he figured out that you're still alive, he would kill everyone in the club and then start hunting you down. That's how he operates. That's why he's already killed nine people. The last place he lives, the person he originally intended to kill didn't die, so he went on a spree and stabbed five people within two days."

"Oh my God," Rachel breathed, images of all of her friends running through her mind. "But everyone thinks I'm dead. Even Finn?"

"Yes. Everyone. Even your dads. I'm assuming Finn is the reason you have a ring on your left ring finger?" Agent Morgan questioned, and Rachel nodded, smiling down at her ring. Suddenly the smile dropped off of her face.

"If Finn thinks I'm dead, he may have moved on…" She whispered, and buried her face in her hands. "I couldn't bear it if that happened,"

"We're working on a case to put Sebastian away for the rest of his life. When we finish the case and throw him in a cage, you can go back to your life," Agent Hotchner soothed, and Agent Morgan added,

"Also we've been watching everyone in the club, and your boyfriend/fiancé hasn't been seeing anyone new. Mainly he mopes around, acting really depressed,"

"Oh," Rachel breathed, shaking her head. "Can't you bring him here?"

"No," Agent Hotchner said, shaking his head, "We have to wait until Sebastian makes a move on one of your friends. We've already told them that he's out to kill them, and we've made them wear riot vests. They stop a knife to the chest."

"But if they know about Sebastian…"

"They still think he killed you. That's the only reason they're consenting to wearing the vests, because they know he actually did kill someone."

Suddenly a girl with blonde hair came dashing into the room. "Hotch, Morgan, Sebastian just tried to kill Kurt Hummel,"

**Dun dun dun! Gotta love cliff-hangers, well, I love writing them, you may not love reading them. I'll post the next chapter as soon as I get it written, I promise! At least Rachel is actually alive, but Kurt may be in mortal danger. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you like the story so far!**


	5. Hostages

**And finally we find out how Kurt is, and if he is okay, then we shall have a Hummelberry best friends forever reunion! **

**Enjoy!**

Rachel gave a squeak of horror as both men bolted to their feet and rushed from the room. Rachel looked distastefully at the IV line running into her arm and she leaned back, feeling helpless. Her right hand reached over and started twisting Finn's ring, and she felt heartbreak steal over her. She missed Finn desperately, and she needed him back.

Hours passed, and Morgan came into the room. "Kurt Hummel is perfectly fine, they're bringing him here as we speak,"

"Are you going to tell the others that he's dead?"

"Yes," Morgan said, as the door banged open behind him and Kurt shrieked,

"RACHEL BARBRA BERRY!"

"KURT ELIZABETH HUMMEL!" Rachel sobbed, reaching out to her best friend. He hugged her tightly, tears rolling down his face. "Please don't be mad at me, Kurt, please don't hate me, I'm so sorry, please don't hate me," Rachel begged, and Kurt drew back, framing her face with his hands.

"Hate you? No, Rachel, no, I am just so freaking glad that you are alive and breathing. I've spent the last two months thinking that I was going to have to go to NYADA by myself," He hugged her again, and Rachel smiled through her tears.

"I love you, Kurt,"

"Love you too, Rach," He motioned for her to scoot over and then he sat on the bed with her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Morgan!" A voice yelled from the hallway, and Morgan stepped out of the room. "The unsub, Sebastian, he knows Kurt's not dead,"

"Shit," Morgan breathed and then shut the door as he ran into the hallway and out of sight.

"Oh no," Rachel breathed, her face going bone white.

"What? What's wrong?"

Rachel explained to him everything that the FBI agents had told her about Sebastian. "So now that he knows that you're not dead, he's going to go on a killing spree,"

"No," Kurt breathed, and hugged Rachel tight. "They can stop him, though, they're the freaking Federal Bureau of Investigation, they brought you back from the dead, they can stop a psychopath," Kurt rationalized, and Rachel hugged him back.

"You're right," She muttered, and prayed that he was. It took a few hours, but eventually the door opened and the two teens glanced over. A woman dressed in bright colors, high heels and bright red hair came walking over to them.

"Hi, I'm Penelope Garcia, the computer tech for the BAU," She began and Rachel looked confused.

"BAU?"

"Behavioral Analyst Unit, it's what all these agents are. We profile people like Sebastian, and follow them around the country trying to catch them," Garcia explained, and Rachel nodded. "Anyways, I just thought you'd like to know that they caught Sebastian after he tried to kill a Blaine Anderson, and a Santana Lopez,"

"Oh my God," Rachel breathed, clutching Kurt who demanded,

"Is Blaine okay?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know anything," Garcia apologized, and quickly stepped out. Kurt lurched to his feet and started pacing the room.

"I can't lose him," Kurt mumbled, covering his mouth with his hand. Rachel managed to climb off of the bed with a wince (a knife to the chest is gonna hurt, especially the stiches) and hugged Kurt fiercely.

"You won't lose him," She said confidently, and Kurt looked at her with panicked eyes.

"How do you know that?"

"Because they're the FB-freaking-I! They brought me back from the dead, Kurt, they can save Blaine and Santana," Rachel said, taking her statement from the point that Kurt had made earlier.

"Good point," Kurt murmured, and held onto Rachel for a good few hours until the two FBI agents came back in the room. "Is Blaine okay?" Kurt demanded yet again, and Agent Hotchner nodded.

"Yes, both he and Miss Lopez are fine. They're being brought here as we speak."

"Are you going to say they're dead too?" Rachel asked, and Morgan shook his head.

"No, because we have Sebastian in custody."

"We're taking you, Rachel, into a different part of the building for you to go over your testimony for Sebastian's case. Don't tell Mr. Anderson or Miss Lopez about her being alive for now," Hotch said seriously, and Kurt nodded. Rachel gave him a long hug and then followed the two agents out.

While Rachel was with the District Attorney, Sebastian was arriving in an FBI car. There was an agent sitting next to him and he asked quietly, "May I use the restroom when we get inside?"

"All right," The agent said reluctantly, and led him into the restroom. Sebastian went inside the stall and was in there for a long time. "Sebastian?" The agent called, and when there was no answer he kicked the door open. Sebastian was slumped on the floor, seemingly unconscious.

As the agent was yelling for backup, Sebastian reached out and grabbed his gun, aiming it at his head. "Don't move," Sebastian growled, and pushed the agent out into the bathroom. Two other FBI agents came rushing into the bathroom, and Sebastian demanded, "Put your guns down and slide them across the floor, unless you want your colleague here to die,"

Eventually they did, and Sebastian picked them up. "How many other agents are in the house?" He asked, and the other agents knew it was a bad idea to lie to him.

"3 agents," One of them said, and Sebastian grabbed their handcuffs, locking them to the stalls and gagging them before running out of the bathroom, sneaking around and looking for the three final agents.

Finally he saw one bringing in a familiar face, namely Blaine Anderson. He snuck up behind them and whacked the agent across the head with the gun and then grabbed Blaine around the neck, sticking the gun into his head. "Move and you're dead," Sebastian growled, and Blaine stopped struggling.

"What do you want, Sebastian?" Blaine ground out, and Sebastian hissed,

"I want Rachel Berry dead for good,"

"She is dead, you bastard, you killed her!"

Sebastian chose to ignore this and dragged Blaine around the safe house until he heard voices coming from the spacious living room. He peeked inside and saw the last two agents talking to Kurt and Santana.

He kicked the door in and yelled, "Freeze, all of you!" The agents did freeze at the sight of Sebastian holding Blaine hostage. "Put your guns and slide them towards me, unless you want Blaine to die,"

"You wouldn't shoot him," Kurt said, his eyes wide with fear.

"Oh yes I would," Sebastian said with an evil grin, and then he looked at the two FBI agents.

"All right, fine," Hotch said, raising his hands in surrender. He bent down and slid his gun across the floor towards Sebastian, and Morgan did the same.

"I'm assuming you've got an intercom system in this lovely safe house?" Sebastian said, raising one eyebrow.

"Yes, why?" Morgan said warily, and Sebastian moved towards the wall. He pressed the button and snarled,

"Rachel Berry, I am speaking to you. Yes, this is who you think it is, and you know what I want. I'm with your precious Kurt, Blaine and Santana, and two FBI agents. If you want them to walk out of here alive, then you had best appear in this room in the next few minutes."

He held the gun firmly to Blaine's temple and waited. Minutes passed, and Sebastian started to pace, forcing Blaine to pace as well since he had him in a headlock. "If she doesn't get here, you'll be the first to die," He said, glaring at Kurt.

"Why not me?" Blaine asked, struggling to stand up. Sebastian laughed dryly, saying,

"You're my hostage, Blaine, you'll be the last to die,"

He kept pacing, glancing at his phone to check the time every few seconds.

Meanwhile, Rachel heard the announcement and her blood had gone cold. The DA was calling for a hostage negotiation team, and Rachel had slipped away. She hurried up to Garcia's office and burst through the door. "Do you know where the team keeps their spare guns?"

Garcia nodded, getting up and opening the gun safe that was hidden in the wall of her temporary computer room. Rachel grabbed one of them and Garcia gasped, "Rachel, you can't,"

"Unless you want me and everyone else to die, I need to go in there with this gun," Rachel said, looking straight into Garcia's eyes. After a few moments, Garcia nodded. "The DA is already calling for hostage negotiation,"

"I'll call for backup," Garcia said quickly, turning to her phone. Rachel nodded and hurried up to the room that Sebastian was holding everyone hostage.

She crept closer to the door and found it open. Rachel took a deep breath and snuck into the room, rearing up behind Sebastian as he snarled, "I'm going to blow you all away if she doesn't get here in the next few seconds,"

"How about I blow you away instead?" Rachel whispered, pressing the cold metal of the gun against Sebastian's skull.

"Rachel!" Blaine whispered in disbelief, and Santana's mouth dropped open.

"What did I tell you, Blaine?" Sebastian said with an evil grin, and he slowly turned to face Rachel.

"Let him go, Sebastian, I'm the one you really want,"

**I'm not sure if I'm staying in-character here with Rachel, but that's how the story ended up flowing and I just went with it. I apologize if it seems OOC to you, it kinda did to me, but I'll post the next chapter as soon as possible and hopefully it'll be more Rachel-esque. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you like the story so far!**


	6. Beautiful World

Sebastian thought about that for a long moment and then shoved Blaine to the floor and aimed his gun at Rachel. Blaine gingerly got to his feet and stood there, staring at Rachel and then glancing at Sebastian. "Don't try to be the hero, Blaine, you'll just get Miss Back-From-The-Dead a bullet in her brain," Sebastian said carelessly, and Rachel's eyes flickered to Blaine and she shook her head slightly.

"Why do you hate me so much?" Rachel asked Sebastian quietly, and he spat,

"Because people care about you. I mean, look at Blaine here, ready to throw himself in front of you to stop my bullet from hurting you. I never had that, not in my entire life. And he's not the only one that would do that for you. No one cares about me, if you shot and killed me right now, no one would care."

"You don't know that…" Rachel said gently, and Sebastian yelled angrily,

"Yes I do! All those people I killed, they all had someone that mourned over them. I want that kind of love, that kind of caring!"

"You want someone to die for you?" Rachel asked in disbelief, and Sebastian nodded with furious tears shining in his eyes.

"I want someone to offer their life for me. That kind of caring is something I never had!"

In that moment, Rachel made a judgment call. She stared Sebastian straight in the eyes and lowered her gun. Rachel knew that everyone in the room was staring at her like she was crazy, and maybe she was. But she still let her gun down and she dropped it to the floor. Sebastian stared at her as she took a few steps closer to him. His gun hand trembled as she held her hand out.

"Take my hand, Sebastian,"

His eyes were wide as he glanced from her hand back up to her face. "What are you doing?"

"I'm willing to die for you, I put my gun down. I want to show you that the world is not that terrible of a place, Sebastian. Take my hand,"

It took him a long moment, but he slowly let the gun down and reached out with his other hand, taking Rachel's hand. "But I still want you dead," He murmured, suddenly bringing the gun up and pressing it to Rachel's chest just as Blaine leapt at him.

A shot rang out, and all the agents that had gathered outside started storming inside. Meanwhile, Garcia had gotten ahold of all the Glee members and the families of the members inside the building, and some of them screamed at the sound of the shot.

As the other agents dashed into the room, they found a peculiar sight. Morgan and Santana were subduing Sebastian while Hotch had his gun trained on the psychopath. Blaine and Kurt were hugging, and then Kurt pulled her into their hug and held onto her tightly.

"Your families are waiting outside for you," One of the agents told Kurt, Blaine, Rachel and Santana, and immediately Kurt ran outside, worrying about his father's heart. Santana hurried out to find Brittany, and Blaine kept his arms around Rachel.

"I can't believe you're alive," He murmured, and she buried her face in his chest.

"I'm sorry, Blaine,"

"Don't be sorry. You're alive, that's all I care about," She smiled at him and they walked out, his arm around her shoulders and her arm around his waist.

When they stepped outside, Rachel looked around and saw Finn staring at her like he had seen a ghost. She let go of Blaine and squeezed his hand before dashing over to him. He ran towards her and it was just like a movie reunion, him picking her up and swinging her around before kissing her.

"You're alive," He breathed, finally breaking the kiss and framing her face with both of his hands. She nodded through her tears and kissed him again.

"I missed you," She said quietly, and he pressed his forehead to hers.

"I love you,"

"I love you too,"

They linked hands and he could feel the ring on her left hand. "You're still wearing your ring," He said with a loving smile.

"I'm still wearing _your_ ring," She corrected, and he smiled. Rachel reached up and wiped his tears away before glancing over and seeing her dads staring at her. Finn followed her gaze and let her go.

"Go to them, Rach,"

She smiled at Finn before kissing him one last time and then running straight to her dads, wrapping her arms around them both. LeRoy and Hiram immediately started sobbing as they held their daughter tightly. Carole and Burt grabbed onto Kurt, Blaine's parents had been worried about him and held him tightly, as did Santana's parents. When Santana stepped back from her parents, she was shocked to see her grandmother standing there, tears in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Santana," Her abuela whispered, and Santana threw herself into her arms. "I love you, no matter what,"

"I love you too abuela," Santana said quietly, trying not to cry.

"You're alive," LeRoy whispered, stroking Rachel's hair. She took his hand and pressed it to her heart.

"My heart's beating, Daddy, I'm alive,"

"Oh thank goodness," Hiram breathed, and then they reluctantly let her go so she could greet the rest of her friends. The first person she saw when she turned around was Mr. Schue, standing there with his eyes shining.

"I'm so sorry Mr. Schue," Rachel pleaded, and he wordlessly held his arms out. She raced into them, and he held her tight.

"It's okay, Rachel, as long as you're alive,"

"I am," She promised, and then he let her go to be bowled over by Mercedes.

"I thought you were dead," She sobbed, and Rachel hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry, Mercedes, for everything, I'm so sorry,"

"You were forgiven a long time ago, I just didn't have the courage to admit it," Mercedes said quietly, and Rachel hugged her again.

She was passed around the entire Glee club, first hugging a misty-eyed Santana. "I'm not crying," The tough Latina insisted, and Rachel squeezed her hands.

"I don't see any tears," She said with a smile, and then Brittany hugged her.

"I missed you, Rachel, we all missed you,"

"I missed you too, Brittney," Rachel said with a big grin, and then she turned around to find Sam engulfing her in a huge hug. They held each other for a while and then he let her go so she could hug Artie.

When she got off of Artie's lap, she saw Quinn standing next to her. She wrapped her arms around the blonde and hugged her tightly. "Thank God you're not dead," Quinn said quietly, and Rachel nodded.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I said," The two smiled at each other and then she hugged Tina and Mike for a few moments.

She found herself wrapped in Finn's arms next and she stretched up to kiss him before reaching out and taking Kurt's hand, resting her head on his shoulder. Blaine came up to them and Kurt took his hand. "Please don't ever do that again, Rachel," Blaine begged, and Rachel laughed.

"I'll try not to irritate any more psychopaths,"

All three of them started laughing and Finn came back over to them. He wrapped his arms around Rachel and didn't let go of her, even as the entire group went to the closest restaurant for dinner.

It took a few weeks, but eventually Rachel, Kurt, Blaine and Santana were allowed to return to school. They had to take more time off in order to testify at Sebastian's trial.

Rachel had been doing some major catch-up and was proud to say that within a few weeks or returning, she had all of her make-up work in.

And then they all attended their first Glee rehearsal in weeks, for Rachel it was the first one in over two months.

"We won this trophy for you, Rach," Finn said quietly as he showed her the Regionals first place trophy. She touched it gently and grinned. Then Mr. Schue dimmed the lights and showed their performance from Regionals.

Tears were streaming down Rachel's cheeks as she saw Finn's solo and then the entire club's mash-up. "I love you guys," She whispered, squeezing Finn's hand.

"Now, Nationals is in two weeks, guys," Mr. Schue began saying, and Kurt raised his hand.

"Mr. Schue, in honor of our girl returning from the dead, I'd like to shove her out in front of us and make her sing us something,"

"I second," Finn said, and Rachel shot a look at both him and Kurt.

"I have nothing prepared," She insisted, but everyone all but shoved her out by the piano. Rachel searched her brain for a song and finally smiled, glancing at Brad and mouthing the title of the song. He smiled and started playing.

"_Here we go, life's little lessons_

_Sometimes I mess up my intentions_

_I get lost, the cost_

_Was losing everything I know_

_Laying here, staring at the ceiling_

_Sometimes still dealing with the feelings_

_Where I've been, what I've done_

_I was so far out there on my own_

_So quick to point the finger_

_To find the one to blame_

_So hard to realize_

_I kept getting in my own way_

_I_

_Never thought that I _

_Was that strong_

_To carry on, carry on tonight_

_Forgiveness in your eyes_

_With nothing to hide _

_All I know_

_Is you've shown me_

_It's a beautiful world_

_It's a beautiful world_

_No more fearing my reflection_

_Here I am, with these imperfections_

_You know_

_My flaws_

_But you don't care you take them all_

'_Til now, I was barely breathing_

_But you gave me something to believe in_

_We're writing history_

_That's made up of small victories_

_We could go round in circles_

_And never get to here_

_So good to realize that _

_We have nothing left to fear_

_I_

_Never thought that I_

_Was that strong_

_To carry on, carry on tonight_

_Forgiveness in your eyes_

_Nothing to hide_

_All I know_

_Is you've shown me_

_It's a beautiful world_

_It's a beautiful world_

_So quick to point the finger_

_When it was me to blame_

_So hard to realize _

_I kept getting in my own way_

_I_

_Never thought that I_

_Was that strong_

_To carry on, carry on tonight_

_Forgiveness in your eyes_

_There's nothing to hide_

_All I know_

_Is you've shown me_

_It's a beautiful world_

_Oh there's stars out tonight_

_Let's watch them shine_

_For you and I_

_Oh_

_These open skies_

_Can we just lie here awhile_

_In this beautiful world_

_I_

_Never thought that I_

_Was that strong_

_To carry on_

_It's a beautiful world_

_It's a beautiful world"_


	7. Divided Opinions

**Chapter 7 is up! I know it has taken me forever and a day to get this chapter posted, but not only did I have a difficult time writing it the way I wanted it, I had to take my finals and study for them and it was chaos. This chapter is Finn asking Rachel to marry him this summer, not in a few years or so, and the Glee club's reaction (which is kinda like in the show), only afterward Finn has a few words to say to them.**

**Enjoy!  
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When Rachel finished singing, the Glee club gave her a small standing ovation. She was immediately swarmed by all of them in a huge group hug, and then Mr. Schue set them to work writing songs for Nationals. He was determined to at least have a semblance of a set list when they boarded the plane to head for New York City.

"Um, Mr. Schue," Finn hedged, and when Mr. Schue nodded he continued, "I'd like to say something to Rachel before we get started,"

"Finn?" Rachel asked in confusion as he took her hands and pulled her in front of the club. He half-smiled at her and reached out, pulling the ring out from under her blouse that she had on a chain. Rachel was silent as he unlocked the clasp and held the ring in his fingers.

"Rachel, almost losing you made me realize how precious time really is," Finn started, and then he nervously chuckled. "I don't even know if this is overdramatic or what, but…" He swallowed hard and looked Rachel straight in the eyes. "Rachel, when you said yes, I thought we'd get married in a few years or something like that, but I'm asking you to marry me this summer. Before we go to New York."

"What?" Rachel whispered sentiment was echoed by the entire Glee club, and Finn reached for her left hand.

"Would you wear this ring on your finger, and marry me this summer?" Finn asked, and Rachel's eyes filled with tears. She reached out with her right hand and touched his face, nodding silently.

"Yes, Finn, I will marry you this summer," She said with a smile, and he slipped the ring on her finger before hugging her and spinning her around.

"When's the baby's due date?" Puck asked, and Rachel glared at him.

"I'm not pregnant, Noah, and you know that,"

"Had to ask, Rach, you know me," He said with a smile and a shrug. She rolled her eyes at him and Kurt spoke up.

"Whoa, wait a minute," Kurt said, shaking his head.

"This summer?" Blaine asked skeptically, while Mike and Tina glanced around at everyone.

"Guys, it's their decision, we should back them," Mike muttered, and Tina nodded.

"All of us know what it feels like to be in love, they're obviously are in love and want to spend the rest of their lives together, what's wrong with that?"

"No," Sam and Mercedes said at the same time, and Mr. Schue said,

"That's rushing it, guys, maybe it'd be better to wait a while, you're really young to be engaged,"

"It's not as if they're rushing off to get married because they've dated for, like, two weeks, they've been together for a long time," Artie reasoned, but nearly everyone else still muttered about how bad an idea they thought the impending marriage was.

"When I told you guys months ago you seemed perfectly fine with it!" Finn exclaimed, and Rachel looked at all of their faces.

"That's because they didn't think it would ever happen. I was dead back then, remember? They weren't going to tell you they thought it was a stupid idea when I was lying dead in a hospital," She said quietly, and then turned and ran out the door.

"What the hell, guys?" Finn demanded furiously before rushing after Rachel.

"They can't be serious," Mercedes said, shaking her head.

"It'll never last," Quinn muttered, and everyone seemed to agree.

Finn ran down the hallway, listening for any sound of Rachel. "Rachel?" He called, and still there was silence. He pulled out his phone and dialed her number, but it went straight to voicemail. When he had searched the entire school, he went to the parking lot and saw that her car was gone. "Dammit!" He swore, and ran back towards the choir room.

"Finn, we think…" Mr. Schue started to say, but Finn held up his hands.

"You all are a bunch of hypocrites, you know that? All of you preach about acceptance and supporting each other and fighting off the bullies together, but what you did just now? You turned into the bullies. You're supposed to support us, no matter what, and even if you think that me and Rachel getting married is a bad idea, you should still accept us. It's our decision and, if you want to think of it like that, our mistake."

"Finn, you know that only a small percentage of high school relationships work out," Mr. Schue said logically, and Finn looked around the club.

"What if we're part of that percentage? Mike, Tina, do you think your relationship is going to last? How about you, Kurt and Blaine? Santana and Brittany?"

There was an uneasy silence, and Finn nodded. "I don't much care about me, I don't need your approval, but we are a family, and Rachel is a part of this family. And basically you guys said that it's okay for us to be engaged if she's dead. That's hurtful, no matter how you look at it. You all broke her heart, and that's not right."

"So basically you're saying we shouldn't have any opinion?" Santana asked with a hard look in her eyes, and Finn shook his head.

"No, I'm saying that you need to be supportive, and express your opinions politely, at least. When you came out as a lesbian, Santana, did any of us put you down? Tell you that it's a bad idea? Or when Quinn was pregnant, did any of us tell her to get an abortion? How is our engagement any different? If we want to get married, then that decision is up to us. If it's a mistake, we'll pay for it later. Simple as that. But I'm telling you right now, it's not a mistake. I will be with Rachel for the rest of my life, and I know that."

"You're right," Mr. Schue finally said, after a long moment of silence. "We were wrong to just throw your decision away like it was nothing but a mistake. I'm sorry, Finn," He said, and the young man nodded. Mr. Schue looked hard at the rest of the Glee club, and slowly they all nodded.

"We were unfair," Kurt admitted, and Finn replied,

"Don't tell me, tell Rachel."

"Where is she?" Blaine asked, and Finn shrugged, looking down at his phone for the umpteenth time.

"She's not answering her phone, it's going straight to voicemail and I can't get ahold of her dads, and her car is not in the parking lot,"

Kurt nodded and got up, walking out of the room without another word. Blaine got up and followed him, all the way to Breadstix. Kurt walked in and went into the back corner that no one sits in because it's too dark. Blaine stepped towards the back and saw Kurt standing there, talking to Rachel who was sitting on the booth.

"Rachel, I'm sorry. Finn made us all realize that we were complete asses to you and him in the choir room, and I am ashamed of myself. You and Finn deserve to be happy, and if getting married this summer will make you happy, then I will be there with bells on. Literally. I'm going to sew bells onto my best suit just for you."

Rachel grinned and got up, wrapping her arms around his neck. He held her tightly and then sat down across from her, holding her hands across the table. "Kurt, I just want you to know that I love you. Not like anything weird, but I love you, like my absolute best friend in the entire world, closer than a brother kind of thing," Rachel said, squeezing his hands.

"I love you too, Rachel," Kurt said, laughing at her description. She grinned too and then Blaine walked up. He slid into the booth next to Rachel and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"I was a complete jerk, Rachel, and I'm sorry. Kurt and I will support you and Finn in whatever you want to do, no matter what,"

She wrapped her arm around his waist and hugged him back. "Thanks, Blaine. What made you change your minds all of a sudden? Not that I mind or anything,"

"Finn came barging back into the choir room and yelled at all of us, told us we were hypocrites and the whole nine yards."

Rachel smiled softly and ducked her head, looking at her left hand. "I do love him, you guys. I believe with all my heart that we will be together for the rest of our lives,"

"Then that's all we need to hear," Kurt said, squeezing Rachel's right hand.

"But you probably need to turn your phone back on, Finn's been calling you like crazy," Blaine suggested, and Rachel dug her phone out. She turned it on and saw the twenty missed calls from Finn. She dialed him back and when he answered he exclaimed,

"Rachel!"

"I'm sorry, Finn, I just wanted to be alone," Rachel apologized, and Finn replied,

"It's fine, Rach, but where are you?"

"Breadstix with Kurt and Blaine."

"What are they doing there?" His voice sounded angry, and Rachel soothed,

"They apologized to me, Finn, and they told me what you said. I love you, I want you to know that,"

"I love you too. I'm on my way, I'll be there in a few minutes,"

Rachel and Finn said their goodbyes and hung up. Blaine switched sides as Finn came into the restaurant and Rachel waved to him. He slid into the booth next to Rachel and kissed her.

"The rest of the Glee club wants to apologize," He told her, and she shrugged.

"Later. All I want to do is eat something and then go home and tell my dads that I'm getting married this summer,"

"I'll go with you," Finn said, taking her hand. She nodded and rested her head on his shoulder.

"You guys are gonna have to tell my dad and your mom soon," Kurt said to Finn, and they both nodded.

"We're gonna tackle my dads first, since I figure they'll be the hardest ones to convince. Well, other than the Glee club," Rachel said, and Kurt nodded.

After a few minutes, Rachel and Finn got up and left, leaving Blaine and Kurt there by themselves. "Do you think they're making a mistake?" Kurt asked quietly, and Blaine shrugged.

"I feel like even if they are, it doesn't matter. They're in love, and we can't mess with that. They would support us no matter what, and we owe it to them to do the same,"

"Wisely spoken," Kurt murmured with a nod.

**That's the end of this chapter! I pinky swear, cross my heart and hope to die that I will get the next chapter posted really soon. I'm already halfway done with it, and since I am now on summer vacation, I'll have a lot more free time to write! Thank you so much for reading this story and sticking with it, and I'll post the next chapter soon! I hope you like this story so far :)**


	8. Goodbye

**And now it's do or die time for Finchel, what will Rachel's dads say about their impending nuptials? I'll give you a hint: it's definitely not like what happened in the show!**

**Enjoy!**

Meanwhile, Rachel and Finn walked into the Berry household together, and Finn looked like he was about to walk the plank to his death. "Dads?" Rachel called when they got in the house, and LeRoy and Hiram came into the living room.

"Well, hello Finn," LeRoy said pleasantly, and Finn smiled nervously.

"We need to talk to you," Rachel said, glancing pointedly at Finn. He cleared his throat and said,

"I know it's customary to ask your permission before doing something like this, but I guess I've been watching too much NCIS and I figured it would be easier to seek forgiveness then ask permission, and…" Finn rambled, and Hiram held up his hands.

"Wait…" He looked at his daughter and then at Finn and asked quietly, "Are you pregnant?"

"No!" Finn and Rachel both said at the same time, looking shocked.

"Hiram," LeRoy rebuked, and then turned back to Rachel and Finn. "Go ahead and finish your thought, Finn,"

"I asked Rachel to marry me,"

"And I said yes," Rachel finished, and looked anxiously at both of her dads.

There was a quiet silence, and then Hiram asked in a soft voice, "Finn, would you leave us for a moment?"

Finn summoned up all of his courage and stated, "I'm not leaving Rachel,"

"We're not asking you to, Finn, we just need to speak with Rachel. Please, just wait in the other room, we won't be long," LeRoy asked wearily, and Finn glanced at Rachel. She nodded, and he squeezed her hand before walking into the next room.

"Before you say anything, dads, I want you to know that I love Finn, that he's the love of my life, and that I am 100% sure that I will spend the rest of my life with him," Rachel started out, and Hiram took her by the shoulders.

"Rachel, you're too young, you can't just go and get married,"

"Why not?" Rachel asked simply, and LeRoy said,

"Because you don't know what you want."

"Yes I do. I want Finn."

"What about NYADA? Broadway?" Hiram asked, and Rachel said patiently,

"We've talked about this. He's coming with Kurt and I to New York, and I've been helping him with applications to colleges in New York that have both sports and music."

"Rachel, high school relationships don't make it in the real world," LeRoy said realistically, and Rachel shook her head.

"Actually, there is a percentage of relationships that make it. Sure it's small, but who can say that Finn and I won't be a part of that percentage?"

"What if you're not?"

"We are." Rachel said firmly, and nothing that LeRoy or Hiram could say would change her mind.

"Rachel, honey, you know that we can't agree with this," LeRoy begged, and Rachel drew herself up.

"Then I'm sorry, dads, but Finn and I are going to get married with or without you. Both of you know that I love you to death, but this is something that I have to do. If I don't, I will spend the rest of my life regretting it, and I won't live like that. I want both of you to be there to walk me down the aisle, and it'll break my heart to do it without you, but it's your decision. It's your move, dads,"

They looked helplessly at her, and she knew their decision. "Rachel," Hiram started to say, attempting to try and change her mind again.

Rachel held up her hands. "No, I'm sorry, I can't listen to you try to destroy what Finn and I have. Goodbye, dads, I love you," She turned and ran from the room, leaving LeRoy and Hiram to argue about what they had just done.

"Rachel?" Finn asked as she swept past him and up to her room. She grabbed a bag and started throwing her stuff into it as tears poured down her face. "Rachel, tell me what's wrong," Finn begged, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"I'm leaving. They're not giving us their blessing." She said miserably, and Finn shook his head.

"Rachel, I'm sorry,"

"It's not your fault," Rachel muttered and she kept tossing her stuff into the bag. Eventually she had everything packed and she glanced at Finn. "I don't think your parents will want me staying at your house,"

"Too bad," Finn started to say, but Rachel held up her hands.

"I'm going to ask Blaine if I can stay with him. I know his mom and his sister, and hopefully they won't mind. Finn, when we tell your parents I'm sure they're going to take my dads side in this, and they won't want me staying with you guys."

She pulled out her cell and called Blaine. "Rachel? What's up?"

"Blaine, I need to ask you for a big favor. I'll probably owe you for the rest of my life."

"This sounds serious. What is it?"

"Can I stay at your house?" Rachel asked quietly, and Blaine was silent for a minute.

"You told your dads," He stated, and she replied,

"Yes, and they didn't take it well. They didn't kick me out, but I'm leaving. I can't stay at Finn's, his parents are probably going to take the same side as my dads,"

Blaine cut her off, saying, "You're welcome here, Rachel. My sister loves you, and so does my parents."

"Thank you so much, Blaine, you just saved my life. Finn's gonna drop me off, I'll be there soon," She hung up, and wrapped her arms around Finn. "I love you, Finn, and I want to stay with you, but once we tell your mom and Kurt's dad, if they don't already know, I have the feeling that they'll feel the same way that my dads will. And I won't stay in a house where there are people who are trying to tear us apart. I refuse." Rachel stated, and Finn understood.

"I get it, Rachel, I do. And I'll call you every night to sing you to sleep," She kissed him, saying,

"Thank you,"

He grabbed her bag and they walked out of the Berry household as quietly as they could. "I love you too, by the way," He said casually, kissing her cheek as she climbed into his car. She beamed at him as he drove off towards the Anderson house. When he pulled up to the curb, Blaine's sister came running out to greet her.

"Rachel!" Annabelle yelled, hugging Rachel.

"Hey there, Belle," Rachel said affectionately, and then she saw Blaine's mom and dad walking down towards her. "Thank you so much for letting me stay with you," She began, but Blaine's mom held up her hand.

"I've already placed a call to your dads, Rachel, telling them of my displeasure at their behavior. Their only daughter is getting married, for God's sake, why can't they just be happy for you?"

"I don't know," Rachel said quietly, and then Blaine came jogging down towards her. She wrapped her arms around his waist and he held her close for a long moment.

"I'm sorry," He said, drawing back.

"Me too,"

She turned to Finn and gave him a long, goodbye kiss, which Blaine and his family tactfully ignored, and then Finn drove off, with Rachel waving after him. "Think of this as an extended sleepover," Blaine said, slinging his arm around her shoulders and taking one of her bags. She reached out and wrapped her arm around his waist as they walked into the house, and Blaine showed her to the guest bedroom.

"I really appreciate this, Blaine," Rachel started to say, and Blaine held his hand up.

"Rachel, you're a friend. You'd do the same for me." He left her alone to get herself settled in and then glanced down at her phone. There were no missed calls from her dads, and that just about broke her heart. She collapsed on her bed and sobbed for a few minutes before her laptop beeped, signaling that she had a Skype call coming through. She wiped her eyes and checked the name before answering.

"Rachel? You okay?" Finn asked in concern, and she smiled at him.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

They spent the next few hours talking and laughing with each other, and they ended with "I love you" and then ended the video call.

There was a knock at the door and Blaine slipped in her room. He sat on the bed across from her and she poured out the whole story on what her dads said, or rather, didn't say. "They didn't say anything when I told them it was their move, and I knew what they decided."

"Basically they didn't give you their blessing,"

"Basically yeah. I just can't stand anyone else trying to talk me out of marrying Finn! I'm sick and tired of it, it's not going to work so why do they try?"

"Because they love you, and they don't want you to regret it," Blaine said quietly, squeezing her hand. "I'm not saying you will regret it, but that's probably what they're thinking,"

"You're probably right," Rachel sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. "I just hope they come around before the wedding. You might have to walk me down the aisle, Blaine," She joked weakly, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Nah, just get Mr. Schue to do it,"

"Good idea," Rachel said, yawning. She ended up falling asleep on him and he tucked her into bed before heading to his own room for the night.

The next morning was a school day, and Blaine and Rachel walked in together. They met up with Finn and Kurt and then Mr. Schue stopped them in the hallway. "Rachel, could you come to the auditorium after school today? I want to talk to you,"

"Mr. Schue, you're not going to try and talk me out of marrying Finn, are you? Because if you are, I swear I will go completely insane…" Rachel said wearily, and Mr. Schue shook his head.

"I promise it's not about talking you out of getting married."

"All right," Rachel said with a nod, and went through the school day like any other normal day. After school she walked to the auditorium with Finn, and as soon as they walked through the doors the music started.

**Now what could that be about? Possibly an apology? You'll find out soon enough, I promise. The next chapter will also involve them traveling to Chicago for the first round of competition in Nationals! I'll explain it again later, but in my version of Nationals, a bunch of groups compete to be in the top 20 or so, and then those groups compete again for the national championship. Thanks so much for reading! I hope you like the story so far!**


	9. True Companion

**Chapter 9 has arrived! The Glee club will sing its apology to Rachel, and life will go on. More specifically, it will go on to Nationals in Chicago!**

**Enjoy!**

"_You and I must make a pact_

_We must bring salvation back_

_Where there is love_

_I'll be there_

_I'll reach out my hand to you_

_I'll have faith in all you do_

_Just call my name_

_And I'll be there_

_Oh I'll be there_

_To comfort you _

_And build my world of dreams around you_

_I'm so glad I found you_

_I'll be there with a love so strong_

_I'll be your strength_

_You know I'll keep you holding on_

_Let me fill your heart with joy and laughter_

_Togetherness well it's all I'm after_

_Just call my name_

_And I'll be there_

_I'll be there to protect you_

_Baby yeah_

_With this unselfish love that respects you_

_Just call my name_

_And I'll be there_

_Oh I'll be there_

_To comfort you _

_And build my world of dreams around you_

_I'm so glad I found you_

_I'll be there with a love so strong_

_I'll be your strength_

_You know I'll keep you holding on_

_Baby if you should ever find someone new_

_You know he better be good to you_

'_Cause if he doesn't_

_Then I'll be there_

_Don't you know baby yeah_

_I'll be there_

_I'll be there_

_Just call my name_

_And I'll be there_

_Yea yea yea yeah_

_I'll be there baby_

_You know I'll be there yea yeah_

_Just call my name_

_And I'll be there_

_Just look over your shoulder_

_I'll be there baby_

_You know I'll be there_

_Just call my name_

_And I'll be there_

_Just call my name_

_And I'll be there"_

Rachel had tears in her eyes as she hugged the first person she could reach, which was Mercedes. Everyone converged on her in a big group hug, and everyone apologized to her and to Finn. "We all love you, Rachel, and we'll all be there at your wedding," Puck said, slinging his arm around her shoulders. "But if you hurt her, Finn, I swear to God there will be an ass-whooping coming your way," He threatened, pointing his finger at his best friend.

"Not just one," Santana said darkly, but then she smiled and squeezed Rachel's hand. Rachel laughed and said,

"Oh, I love you guys,"

It took them a week or two, but Rachel and Finn finally came up with a duet that they wanted to try out. They showed it to Mr. Schue who gave them approval to show it to the others. It was a split opinion, so they decided to keep a file of all songs that were being considered for Nationals use. Rachel and Finn's song went in there, along with Kurt and Blaine's song and Puck's song.

By the time Nationals rolled around, Rachel's wedding plans had kicked in high gear. When Rachel tried to do most of it on her own, Kurt and Mercedes just rolled their eyes and jumped in head first. Quinn helped too, though it was mainly Kurt. Most of the time he dragged Rachel and Finn with him, but sometimes Blaine went instead of Finn for some of the stuff that Finn either didn't care about, like cakes and flowers, or stuff that Finn wasn't allowed to see, like Rachel's dress. Rachel tried not to think about her dads too much, because if she did it just made her cry, and she knew it upset Finn when she cried.

The day that New Directions was due to fly to Chicago had arrived, and they were all sitting on the plane, two to a row. Mr. Schue sat in front of Rachel and Finn, and Blaine and Kurt sat behind them. Then Mercedes and Quinn sat there, with Puck and Sam behind them, and then Mike and Tina, and Artie had his own row with his wheelchair. Mercedes and Puck had switched places so Mercedes and Quinn could help Rachel and Kurt with the wedding plans. Finn stared at Mr. Schue and mouthed,

"Help me,"

Mr. Schue chuckled and reached over, clapping Finn on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Finn, it's all worth it in the end. When you see her at the beginning of the aisle, it's a feeling I can't even describe," He sounded wistful, and Finn shook his head.

"They had me tasting cake yesterday. It all tasted like either vanilla or chocolate!" He said desperately, and Kurt snapped with a smile,

"That's because you have no real taste buds,"

He rolled his eyes at Kurt and Rachel sat forward, wrapping her arms around Finn's waist. "I'm sorry, Finn, but you have to admit that it's fun sometimes,"

"Are you having fun?" He asked almost disbelievingly, and Rachel nodded enthusiastically. "Then so am I," He said finally, and glanced back as Puck mouthed,

"Whipped!"

"Am not!" Finn mouthed back to him, and then faced front. Rachel went back to the wedding plans with Kurt, Blaine and the girls, and Mr. Schue explained to Finn that they could sing two songs at Nationals, and then if they made the cut for the next part of the competition then they could sing three songs, and then the trophies were handed out.

The plane finally landed in Chicago, and Mr. Schue let the kids go sightsee for a few hours while he signed them into the hotel and went to register for the competition. Then, he locked them in their rooms. Literally this time. He sat out in the hallway and refused to let them come out until they had some songs written.

"We goofed around last year and just saw the city. This year, it's time to get to work. For some of you, it's your last year, your last shot," Mr. Schue glanced at the seniors with a sentimental look in his eyes. "So let's make it count. Get to it!" He settled down in the hallway with a book and made sure none of the Glee kids snuck out.

Finn and Rachel practiced the choreography to their duet, and performed it for the club. At the end, nearly everyone was speechless. Mr. Schue took a vote and it was unanimous that they should perform the duet. Then Puck showed the group his song, and everyone was given a small solo, but Mercedes, Brittany and Santana had the biggest parts.

Finally the competition arrived, and it was time for New Directions to perform. Finn would start out on stage, with Rachel walking down the aisle towards him. He stepped out into the light and waited for the music to start. When it did, he sang quietly,

"_Baby I've been searching like everybody else_

_Can't say nothing different by myself_

_Sometimes I'm an angel and sometimes I'm cruel_

_When it comes to love I'm just another fool"_

A spot light had been shining on Rachel as she walked down the aisle, her eyes locked on Finn as she sang,

"_Yes I'll climb the mountain_

_I'm gonna swim the sea_

_There ain't no act of God, boy,_

_Could keep you safe from me,"_

She kept walking towards him and he stepped in her direction, reaching out an arm towards her and singing,

"_My arms are reaching out_

_Out across this canyon"_

Rachel reached the stage and started up the stairs, reaching her arm out towards him, singing,

"_I'm asking you to be my true companion_

_True companion_

_True companion"_

Finn took her hands and spun her around, doing a simple waltz that Rachel had taught him and he sang,

"_So don't you dare try to walk away from me_

_I've got my heart set on our wedding day_

_I've got this vision of a girl in white_

_Made my decision that it's you all right"_

Rachel spun away from him and they danced around each other, holding hands as she sang,

"_When I take your hand_

_I watch my heart set sail"_

Finn sang with tears in his eyes as he pretended to lift up a wedding veil,

"_I take my trembling fingers_

_And I lift up your veil"_

Rachel grinned and took his hand, pretending to drag him around the stage as she sang,

"_Then I take you home_

_And with wild abandon"_

He pulled her close to him and lifted her up in the air, slowly rotating around as he sang,

"_Make love to you just like a true companion_

_You are my true companion"_

Rachel touched his face as he let her down and slowly backed away from him, raising her hand and pointing at him, singing,

"_I got a true companion_

_A true companion"_

Finn held his hand out for her and she walked towards him as he sang,

"_When the years have done irreparable harm_

_I can see us walking slowly arm in arm"_

She took his arm and they strolled around the stage, with her head resting on his shoulder and she sang,

"_Just like that couple on the corner of Duke_

_Boy I will always be in love with you"_

He pulled away from her and gazed into her eyes sweeping her into his arms and their foreheads touching,

"_When I look in your eyes_

_I'll still see that spark_

_Until the shadows fall_

_Until the room grows dark"_

When Finn let her down, Rachel slowly backed away from him into the shadows in the side of the stage, singing emotionally,

"_Then when I leave this earth_

_I'll be with the angels standing_

_I'll be out there waiting for my true companion"_

Tears slid down Finn's face as he remembered when he thought that Rachel had truly left the earth, and he sang quietly,

"_Just for my true companion"_

Rachel took a step out from the shadows with her own tears running down her cheeks as she sang,

"_True companion"_

She ran into his arms and he held her tightly as they both sang together in perfect harmony,

"_True companion"_

The crowd was silent for a long moment and then when Rachel and Finn pulled apart, they exploded in thunderous applause, standing up and giving them a standing ovation. They could feel the emotion throughout the entire song, and New Directions was clapping from the wings, all of them could feel the same emotion that the crowd felt, though they probably understood it more. They knew that Rachel and Finn were no doubt destined to be together, and they were happy for them.

**I loved writing that duet. Okay, the first song was "I'll Be There" by RyanDan, though I know it's been done by many other artists, that's the version I just love. And the duet between Rachel and Finn was "True Companion" by Marc Cohn. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you like this story so far!**


	10. Change

**Time for the 10****th**** chapter! And I know, the Troubletones are supposed to sing a song too, but this is just the first part of the competition. There's a second part where they have to sing again, and the Troubletones will sing there, I promise!**

**Enjoy!**

Rachel and Finn took their places in the group, and the music for their second song began.

Well it's a sad picture

The final blow hits you

Somebody else gets what you wanted

It can't end

You know it's all the same

Another time and place

Repeating history and

You're getting sick of it

But I believe in whatever you do

And I'll do anything to see it through

Because these things will change

Can you feel it now?

These walls that they put up  
>to hold us back will fall down<p>

It's a revolution

The time will come for us to finally win

And we'll sing hallelujah

We'll sing hallelujah

So we've been outnumbered

Raided and now cornered

It's hard to fight when the fight ain't fair

We're getting stronger now

Find things they've never found

They might be bigger

But we're faster and never scared

You can walk away

Say we don't need this

But there's something in your eyes

Says we can beat this

Because these things will change

Can you feel it now?

These walls that they put up  
>to hold us back will fall down<p>

It's a revolution

The time will come for us to finally win

And we'll sing hallelujah

We'll sing hallelujah

Hallelujah

Tonight we'll stand

And get off our knees

Fight for what we've worked for all these years

And the battle was long

It's the fight of our lives

But we'll stand up

Champions tonight

It was the night things changed

Can you feel it now

The walls that they put to throw us back

Fell down

It's a revolution

Throw your hands up

Cuz we never gave in

And we sang hallelujah

We sang hallelujah

Hallelujah

Oh, oh yeah

As New Directions stood there, reveling in the applause and the awesome performance they had just given, Finn glanced over and saw someone stealing onto the stage. He caught the glint of metal as that person streaked across the stage, leaping towards Rachel. Finn lunged for Rachel just as she screamed and then literally all of New Directions were leaping onto the someone, who turned out to be Sebastian. They subdued him as the members of the BAU ran onto the stage.

Rachel had stumbled backwards and was shaking, one hand over her mouth and on arm wrapped around her stomach. Mr. Schue ran out on stage and touched her arm gently. "Are you okay?" He asked in concern, and she shook her head.

"He'll never give up. Not 'til I'm dead."

Mr. Schue took the trembling girl in his arms and escorted her off the stage, supporting nearly all of her weight because she could barely walk. Eventually the rest of New Directions followed, and Mr. Schue relinquished Rachel to Finn. He held her tightly as Kurt came jogging up with a can of Sprite.

"Here!" Kurt said, shoving the can into Rachel's shaky hands. She sipped at it gratefully and everyone was relieved to see some color return to her bone-white face.

"The carbonation can help settle her stomach," Kurt explained to Finn, and Rachel kept drinking it as they walked back to their room.

After a few minutes, they all went to watch the rest of the groups perform. Pretty soon the list was posted, the list that held the names of the groups that would be moving onto the last round of competition.

Together they all walked to the board, and they all wanted Mr. Schue to go and look again. He came back with a strange look on his face.

"What?" Rachel begged, and he looked at her.

"We didn't make Top 10, guys…" Everyone's faces fell, but then Mr. Schue grinned broadly and said, "We made the Top 5!"

"Oh my God!" Kurt squealed, hugging Blaine tightly and kissing him before moving onto Mercedes and Rachel, all of them jumping up and down and squealing and crying in happiness. The entire Glee group was currently doing what would be defined as freaking out, including Mr. Schue.

"Party time!" Puck yelled, and Mr. Schue held up his hands.

"All right, guys, we'll go out for some pizza and ice cream, but after that we need to hit the rehearsing and song writing hard, we've only got one day to figure our routine out for the final round of competition,"

"Did Vocal Adrenaline make it?" Rachel asked, and Mr. Schue nodded.

"They were two spots ahead of us."

"Which means we're going to blow you out of the water," A familiar voice said from behind them, and Rachel spun around to see Jesse St. James standing there.

"Jesse," Rachel said quietly, and Jesse looked her over.

"It's good to see you, Rachel, especially on stage. You were a talented actress up there, I'm almost surprised,"

"I wasn't acting, Jesse," Rachel replied as Finn came up to her and took her hand.

"Ah, yes, I hear you're still dating the oaf over here," Jesse said with a nod, looking Finn over.

"If you don't mind, Jesse, my fiancée and I are going with our friends to rehearse," Finn said in a hard voice and Jesse's eyes widened.

"You don't mean to tell me that…you two are engaged?"

"Yes. We're getting married this summer." Rachel said, smiling up at Finn.

"Wow. Really lowered your standards since me, huh Rachel?" Jesse said, and Finn's hands balled into fists. Rachel shook her head and said,

"Stop trying to antagonize Finn, Jesse,"

"But it's so much fun, and so easy," Jesse grinned, and Rachel pulled Finn away, saying,

"Let it go, Finn, he's just trying to get to you, to us,"

"Was that kid with a knife just an act, Rachel, or did you really break his heart that bad?" Jesse called, and Rachel dropped Finn's hand, walking back over to Jesse.

"That kid is a psychopath who very nearly killed me months back. And you saw yet another attack on my life. You think this is a game, Jesse? Well, in this game, one misstep and I'm dead. But maybe you'd like that,"

"Do you actually think I'd like that?" Jesse breathed, and Rachel shrugged.

"I'm not sure. All I am sure about is that tomorrow, New Directions is going to wipe the floor with Vocal Adrenaline. And then Finn and I are going to get married. Where does that leave you, Jesse? I don't frankly care."

Rachel turned on her heel and walked away, towards Finn and the rest of New Directions who had been watching the whole exchange with Jesse like hawks. "Oh, quit staring, I'll fill you all in when we get to the pizza place," Rachel said, rolling her eyes as she took Finn's hand.

They all walked out of the building, and Rachel didn't once look back at Jesse.

While New Directions was chomping down on some pizza, Rachel told them the story of Jesse, and then finished with her conversation with him. "Wow, he's still an ass," Santana commented, and Mr. Schue looked at her.

"Language, Santana,"

"Would you prefer I say it in Spanish?" She countered, and he considered that.

"Maybe."

They all started laughing and Rachel sipped at her water as she ate her vegan pizza slice. "Yes he is, and I'm done with him. For the rest of my life."

"She's finally seen the light," Kurt muttered, and everyone else agreed. They started talking about when Jesse had egged her, and then how she had gone to the Junior Prom with him, and Rachel glanced around at her team. Her friends. Her family.

She grabbed a pen from her purse and glanced around for a clean napkin. Kurt saw her frantic eyes and knew she was in songwriting mode. He shoved his napkin towards her and she started scribbling words down. Finn noticed what she was doing and he looked over, trying to read the words that she had written. Kurt caught his eyes and shook his head. "Never interrupt songwriting by trying to read it before it's finished," Kurt told him, and Finn nodded.

By the time New Directions was done eating, Rachel was putting the finishing touches on the song. "Rachel?" Mr. Schue asked as everyone was putting their coats on and Rachel was still sitting down, writing on that napkin.

"Done!" She exclaimed, sliding out of the booth with her napkin clutched tightly in her hands. Everyone gave her funny looks and she smiled, saying, "I just got into songwriting mode, you guys inspired me,"

"How did we do that?" Puck asked, and Rachel ducked her head, saying,

"You guys are my family, and I don't know what I would do without you,"

"Group hug!" Brittany yelled, and everyone started hugging everyone.

"How about you perform this song for us when we get back to the hotel?" Mr. Schue asked Rachel as they walked back to the hotel.

"Sure, but I'm not the one who'll be singing it tomorrow,"

"Who will?"

"The Troubletones," She said firmly, and Mr. Schue gave her a one-armed hug as they walked down the sidewalk. Kurt sidled up to Rachel and showed her a piece of paper with a song he had written on it.

"Will you rehearse this with me?" He asked in a whisper, and as she read the words, tears came to her eyes.

"Of course. It's beautiful. Are you going to sing it tomorrow with Blaine or…?"

"You silly girl," He said, shaking his head as they reached the hotel. "I want to sing it tomorrow with you! It can be a dress rehearsal for our NYADA auditions,"

"But I thought we were going to do Wicked or some other Broadway musical song," Rachel said in confusion, and Kurt shrugged.

"I thought maybe we could do an original song and blow their socks off, you know?"

"Sounds perfect. I love you, Kurt," She said, hugging him tightly.

"Love you too, Rachel,"

They reached their rooms and everyone piled into the girls room to see Rachel sing her song. She looked around at everyone and said, "This is the song I wrote, but I want the Troubletones to sing it, because they are just as good as New Directions,"

When she finished singing, everyone was clapping and Mr. Schue asked for a vote. "Who wants to do that song tomorrow?"

It was unanimous that that would be the Troubletones' song that would be performed, and as the girls set to work dividing up the parts and working on the choreography, Kurt pulled Rachel aside and they practiced their duet.

**That second song was "Change" by Taylor Swift, just so you know, and I completely forgot that Troubletones got to sing one song at every competition, so pretend that you can only sing two songs in the first part of the competition, and then there's a second part where you can sing three songs. That's how I thought it went last year, when they posted the list of the top 20 or whatever, and then those groups had to sing again. Anyways, sorry for the confusion! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you're liking this story!**


	11. Play On

**Now it's time for the real competition! Rachel and Kurt will sing their duet, and then the Troubletones will sing their song, and finally New Directions will come together to sing their last song, and hopefully it'll be enough to win the Nationals trophy.**

**Enjoy!**

When they finished practicing, they went to Mr. Schue and asked him if they could sing the ballad for the final round of competition. Finn overheard them and gladly relinquished his role as the male lead for Kurt. Mr. Schue asked to see the song and Kurt hesitated.

"We wanted it to be a surprise, Mr. Schue, but I promise you it'll knock the judges' socks off,"

"Well…" He hedged, and Santana yelled,

"Oh, let them do it, Mr. Schue, if anyone could kill a duet it's Berry and Hummel over there,"

"That settles it, then." Mr. Schue said with a nod, and they spent the rest of the night rehearsing their first song, and then Blaine asked,

"Don't we have to have three songs?"

"Well, we've got the ballad and the Troubletones number, what else should we do?" Mr. Schue asked, and everyone started thinking. Finally, Rachel stood up and said,

"Maybe we should do a song where we split into couples. Like a true love song, and each of us have our own partners and our own solos, and then at the end we come together for the last show-stopping note," She suggested, and they all nodded in agreement.

"But who's going to write it?" Kurt asked, and no one volunteered for a long moment, and then Finn raised his hand.

"Give me an hour and I'll do it," Finn said, and everyone nodded in agreement. Finn went off into Mr. Schue's room while the rest of New Directions practiced the group number.

Eventually Finn came out with his song, and they all agreed it was perfect. Choreography was memorized until Mr. Schue finally yelled that they all needed to get their rest for the competition.

In the morning, they all woke up early and started rehearsing all over again. When Rachel went to get Mr. Schue, she found Jesse lurking around the hallways. "Go away, Jesse, and stop trying to steal our ideas,"

"Why would I need to do that when Vocal Adrenaline already has this in the bag?" He sneered, but Rachel was still uneasy. She went back to New Directions and told them to stop rehearsing since Jesse was sneaking around. No one wanted Vocal Adrenaline to steal their songs, so they agreed to stop practicing until they got to the competition.

Eventually it was time to leave for the competition, and they all brought their clothes with them. At the competition, they reached their room and the girls went to the bathroom to change and do their hair and makeup, while the boys just went to change. Kurt was the only one who did his hair, though he did get Blaine and a few others to put gel in their hair.

A little while later, they all went to watch some of their competition before it was their turn to go on. Rachel and Kurt stood backstage with nervous looks on their faces. Neither of them knew that Finn, Blaine and Mr. Schue had collaborated to have representatives from NYADA and a few other musical schools come to see the competition.

"You ready?" Blaine asked Kurt as he came up behind him, taking his hand.

"No," Kurt and Rachel said together, and Finn laughed as he wrapped his arms around Rachel.

"You'll do fantastic, both of you," Finn said, kissing Rachel good luck as Blaine did the same with Kurt. Then they switched and Blaine gave Rachel a good luck hug and Finn did the same with Kurt.

"Good luck, get out there!" Mr. Schue said, and Kurt squeezed Rachel's hand before stepping out as the music started.

"_We call them cool_

_Those hearts that have no scars to show_

_The ones that never do let go_

_And risk the tables being turned_

_We call them fools_

_Who have to dance within the flame_

_Who chance the sorrow and the shame_

_That always comes with getting burned"_

Rachel stepped out, singing softly with Kurt,

"_But you've got to be tough when consumed by desire_

_Cause it's not enough just to stand outside the fire"_

"_We call them strong_

_Those who can face this world alone_

_Who seem to get by on their own_

_Those who will never take the fall_

_We call them weak!_

_Who are unable to resist_

_The slightest chance love might exist_

_And for that forsake it all_

_They're so hell-bent on giving_

_Walking a wire_

_Convinced it's not living if you stand outside the fire_

_Standing outside the fire_

_Standing outside the fire_

_Life is not tried_

_It is merely survived_

_If you're standing outside the fire_

_There's this love that is burning_

_Deep in my soul_

_Constantly yearning to get out of control_

_Wanting to fly_

_Higher and higher_

_I can't abide_

_Standing outside_

_The fire_

_Standing outside the fire_

_Standing outside the fire_

_Life is not tried_

_It is merely survived_

_If you're standing outside the fire_

_Standing outside the fire_

_Standing outside the fire_

_Life is not tried_

_It is merely survived_

_If you're standing outside the fire_

Kurt and Rachel hugged as the crowd stood up and gave them a rousing standing ovation. They walked off stage and got into formation with the other members of New Directions. Everyone gave them a smile as the music started and Santana and Mercedes skipped onto the stage, with the rest of Troubletones following them as they started singing,

"_Whatcha gonna do when the show is over_

_Whatcha gonna sing when the song ends_

_How you gonna cope when there is no closure_

_Where you gonna reach when the goal gets higher_

_How you gonna make it through_

_When you think you lost your chance_

_Play on_

_When you're losing the game_

_Play on_

_Cause you're gonna make mistakes_

_It's always worth the sacrifice_

_Even when you think you're wrong_

_So play on_

_Play on_

_Even when the floodgates swing wide open_

_Never let the current sink you down, no_

_Even when you're not sure where you're going_

_Swimming through a mess and you can't get out_

_Just going through the motions_

_And trying not to drown_

_Play on_

_When you're losing the game_

_Play on_

_Cause you're gonna make mistakes_

_It's always worth the sacrifice_

_Even when you think you're wrong_

_So play on_

_Play on_

_Even through a storm on the darkest night_

_Don't you ever give up the fight_

_Even when you feel you're all alone_

_Play on_

_Play on_

_Play on_

_When you're losing the game_

_Play on_

_Cause you're gonna make mistakes_

_It's always worth the sacrifice_

_Even when you think you're wrong_

_So play on_

_Play on_

_Play on_

_Oh yea yea yea yeah_

_Na na na na na na_

_Na na na na na na"_

When they finished singing, they bowed their heads as the lights went down, and everyone was clapping enthusiastically for New Directions. When they finished clapping, the music started to play for their third song.

Sugar stepped out through the back doors and onto the aisle, singing,

"_An empty street_

_An empty house  
>A hole inside my heart<em>

_I'm all alone_

_The rooms are getting smaller"_

She glanced back at the other doors as Artie rolled out, looking over at Sugar as he sang

"_I wonder how  
>I wonder why<em>

_I wonder where they are_

_The days we had_

_The songs we sang together_

_Oh yeah"_

They kept walking as Brittany stepped out from one of the side doors, singing,

"_And oh my love_

_I'm holding on forever_

_Reaching for a love that seems so far"_

She reached towards the other side of the auditorium as Santana stepped out, smiling as she reached towards Brittany and sang,

"_So I say a little prayer_

_And hope my dreams'll take me there_

_Where the skies are blue_

_To see you once again_

_My love"_

They held hands and walked up to the stage as Sam stepped out from the back of the auditorium and walked to the overhang of the balcony, singing,

"_Overseas from coast to coast_

_To find the place I love the most_

_Where the fields are green_

_To see you once again_

_My love"_

Mercedes was standing up there, smiling down at Sam as he sang, and then she started towards the stairs, walking down as she sang,

"_I try to read_

_I go to work_

_I'm laughing with my friends_

_But I can't stop_

_To keep myself from thinking_

_Oh no"_

They linked hands and hurried up to the stage and took their places as Puck stepped out from the side of the auditorium, glancing towards the back as he sang,

"_I wonder how_

_I wonder why_

_I wonder where they are_

_The days we had_

_The songs we sang together_

_Oh yeah"_

Quinn stepped out from the back and smiled shyly at Puck as she sang,

"_And oh my love_

_I'm holding on forever_

_Reaching for a love that seems so far"_

They headed up to the stage together as Mike stepped out from the other side of the auditorium, singing,

"_So I say a little prayer_

_And hope my dreams'll take me there_

_Where the skies are blue_

_To see you once again_

_My love"_

Tina stood on the other side of the balcony and started down the stairs, singing,

"_Overseas from coast to coast_

_To find the place I love the most_

_Where the fields are green_

_To see you once again"_

They stepped onto the stage and took their places with the others as Blaine stepped out from one side of the auditorium and Kurt stepped out from the other, singing together,

"_To hold you in my arms_

_To promise you my love_

_To tell you from the heart_

_You're all I'm thinking of"_

Kurt stepped into place as Blaine slowly backed into his spot, singing,

"_Reaching for a love that seems so far"_

All of New Directions began to sing as Finn stepped out from the side of the stage, taking the lead and singing,

"_So_

_So I say _

_(a little prayer and hope my dreams will take me there)_

_Where the skies are blue_

_To see you once again_

_My love"_

Rachel stepped out now, smiling at Finn as she took over the lead,

"_Overseas from coast to coast_

_To find the place I love the most_

_Where the fields are green _

_To see you once again_

_My love"_

She stepped into her spot and all the couples began doing the simple choreography they had practiced as they all sang together,

"_Say a little prayer_

_(My sweet love)_

_Dreams will take me there_

_Where the skies are blue_

_To see you once again_

_Overseas from coast to coast_

_To find the place I love the most_

_Where the fields are green_

_To see you once again_

_My love"_

**Just so you know, Rachel and Kurt's son was "Standing Outside The Fire" by Garth Brooks, the Troubletone's song was "Play On" by Carrie Underwood, and the final New Directions song was "My Love" by Westlife. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you like the story!**


	12. National Champs

**And now it's time for the discovery of who is the National Champion, and also time for chapter 12! Jesse makes an ugly appearance (apparently the writers of Glee seem to be contradicting my story at every turn, since Jesse was actually nice at Nationals, but he's not here!) **

**Enjoy!**

Rachel found herself wrapped in someone's arms and she started laughing as she realized it was Kurt.

"We totally rocked that, diva," Kurt enthused, and Rachel hugged him tightly as she exclaimed,

"Hell yeah we did!"

Then she found herself in Finn's arms as they all trooped off the stage and headed into the backstage area to come off of their performing high. Mr. Schue made the rounds, high-fiving everyone and he gave Rachel a hug. "That was better than the performance my Glee club made at our Nationals competition," He said quietly, and Rachel grinned.

"I doubt that."

"It's true," He insisted, and then he saw Jesse walking up to them. He let Rachel go and she turned around to face Jesse.

"What do you want, Jesse?" Rachel snapped, and Jesse held up his hands in surrender.

"Nothing, just thought I'd congratulate you on that wonderful performance. Who would've thought that a straight girl could do a duet with a gay guy. You just have everyone panting after you, don't you?"

"I resent that!" Rachel said heatedly, taking a step towards him. "Kurt is my best friend, and he happens to have a boyfriend. So, for your sake, I'm going to pretend that was an attempt to figure out if Kurt's single or not."

"What, are you going to hit me?" Jesse laughed, and Rachel opened her mouth to retort.

"No, but maybe we will," Santana snapped from behind Rachel, and she turned around to see all of New Directions standing there, staring at Jesse with fury.

"Whoa, wouldn't want that to happen," Jesse said sarcastically, and Rachel shook her head.

"No, guys, he's just trying to get us disqualified because he knows we were so much better than his team."

"Yeah, right," Jesse snorted.

"Well, if you're so cocky then go and celebrate with Vocal Adrenaline and leave us alone," Rachel said, pointing towards the door. Jesse shrugged and walked off, calling,

"Let me know if you change your mind about Frankenteen over there,"

"He's so immature," Rachel muttered, stepping over to where Finn stood. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly.

"I love you," He murmured, running his fingers through her hair.

"I love you too. Nothing will change that, especially not Jesse,"

Finn just smiled at her and took her hand as they walked out to take their places on the stage for awards to be given out. The tenth through fifth place winners were announced, and then the last five show choirs were on stage, waiting for the giving of the trophies. New Directions were up there, along with Vocal Adrenaline and three other clubs.

"And in fifth place, Carmel High's Vocal Adrenaline!" The announcer said, and Rachel glanced over to see Jesse's shocked face. She couldn't resist grinning up at Finn, who grinned back. "And in fourth place, Anderson High's Singing Belles!" The all-girl group from New York went to get their trophy, and then they walked off the stage. Only three clubs were left, and then the announcer said,

"And in third place, Garcia High's Cantantes!" The group of kids from New Mexico collected their trophy and then walked off the stage.

"And in first place…" The announcer looked at the two groups that were left and cried out, "McKinley's New Directions!" He announced that Roosevelt's Vocal Impressions got second, but no one was listening as the place erupted and everyone in New Directions started hugging and crying each other and basically having a party on the stage.

"National Champs!" Puck screamed out as he picked Rachel up and swung her around, planting a kiss right on her lips.

"Hey! She's taken!" Finn yelled, and Puck rolled his eyes as he hugged Finn enthusiastically. Rachel and Kurt shared a long hug and then Blaine hugged her tightly.

"Did you notice the NYADA people sitting in the audience?" Blaine said in her ear, and her eyes grew wide. Blaine told Kurt the same thing and their faces went white.

"They, they were watching, they were watching us," Kurt said faintly, and Rachel grasped his hands tightly.

"Don't faint now, Kurt, they're coming on stage!"

That brought Kurt straight up to attention, but his face stayed paper-white. "Who did this?" Rachel said to Blaine, and he grinned.

"Me, Finn and Mr. Schue. The whole club wanted to do it, but we were the ones that contacted NYADA, sent in some videos of the two of you singing,"

"But we already sent in our applications,"

"Yeah, and you were finalists. We just helped the process of choosing who would actually get into the college," Finn explained, coming up next to Blaine. Mr. Schue saw the NYADA representatives coming over and met them, introducing himself.

He led them over to Kurt and Rachel and said, "Rachel, Kurt, the NYADA representatives want to talk to you," They both managed to walk over with the two representatives, and the entire Glee club pretended like they weren't watching as Kurt and Rachel clutched at each other's hands.

"Do you think we did the right thing?" Finn asked Mr. Schue nervously as Rachel's terrified expression never left her face.

"Yes, we did. There's not a chance that they won't get in, not with that performance. And considering that we just won Nationals, I'm sure that that will go far in the representative's minds," Mr. Schue said, and Blaine nodded.

"Yeah, I'm sure they'll get in," He sounded positive, and Finn nodded in agreement.

New Directions were soon shuffled backstage, and they all waited for Kurt and Rachel to walk back. It seemed to take forever, but they finally stepped backstage, their faces completely expressionless.

"This is where I hate the fact that they're such good actors," Finn whispered to Blaine, and he agreed.

"Well?" Mr. Schue asked, taking a step forward, ready to console them if they were rejected, though he knew that there was no way that they weren't accepted. They were too good for NYADA in his opinion.

"We both got in," Kurt said with a smile, and Rachel grinned, adding,

"And we both got full scholarships!"

"Oh my God!" Blaine yelled, wrapping his arms around Kurt and kissing him enthusiastically. Finn grabbed Rachel and swung her around, hugging her and whispering in her ear,

"I am so proud of you,"

"And do you wanna know the best part?" Rachel asked excitedly, and pulled Kurt over to Finn.

"The NYADA representatives saw our first performance, Finn, and they both recommended that you apply for some of the colleges in New York that offer musical theater."

"I told them about your sports too and they both said that all the colleges they suggested that offer musical theater offer football! And they said they'd give those colleges a call and give them their recommendations!" Rachel blurted out with a grin, and Finn couldn't believe it.

"Are you serious?"

"Absolutely!" Kurt said with a smile as Finn hugged both of them. Kurt then escaped over to where the rest of the Glee club hugged and congratulated him, and Rachel kissed Finn for a long moment.

"I love you," She said with a smile, and he held her tightly.

"I love you too."

They walked over to the rest of the club and Rachel was instantly pulled into half a dozen hugs. Puck picked her up as Finn warned, "Keep your lips off my fiancée, Puckerman,"

"Ignore him, Noah," Rachel said with a smile, but Puck just kissed her cheek.

"In case you haven't noticed, he's bigger than me. I may have the skills, but he's got the strength," Puck joked and slung his arm around Rachel's shoulders as they all walked off the stage. "Always knew you'd be the one to make it out of here and make a big name for yourself," Puck said, glancing around the stage.

"You can too, Noah. Just because your path isn't as obvious as mine doesn't mean you can't do great things." Rachel said, wrapping an arm around his waist.

"You never know," Puck said simply, glancing down at his Jewish Princess. She had this effect on people that made them want to be the best they could be, just because she believed in them wholeheartedly. "You never gave up on me, did you Rachel?" He said quietly, and she shook her head.

"Nope. And I never will. You and I will be friends forever,"

"Oh, I'll definitely be there on your opening night on Broadway," Puck promised, and Rachel grinned.

"Good. You know, Noah, I love you. Like a big brother love, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. Why are we getting so mushy?" Puck questioned, and Rachel replied,

"Ever since I nearly died, I've been realizing that I've taken too much for granted. I'm just making sure you know how much I love you,"

"I love you too, like the younger sister that I actually have but is a lot more annoying than you. And that's hard to do." Puck said with a chuckle.

"Noah!" Rachel exclaimed, punching him in the side.

"Sorry," He apologized, but he didn't sound very sorry as he snickered at her. She rolled her eyes and hooked her arm around his waist. "So, Finn, when are we having your bachelor's party?" Puck called, and Kurt gasped.

"You haven't planned that yet? Their wedding is in two months, Puckerman!"

"Exactly, we've got two months to plan something," Sam said, and Kurt rolled his eyes.

"I've had Rachel's bachelorette party planned for weeks."

"Of course you did, because you're Kurt freaking Hummel," Blaine explained, putting his arm around his boyfriend.

"How about we order room service and party it up in the hotel?" Mr. Schue asked New Directions, and everyone nodded enthusiastically. They started the walk back to the hotel and Puck, Sam, Artie and Mike discussed Finn's bachelor's party with Finn and Mr. Schue throwing in suggestions, and then Mercedes, Quinn, Tina, Sugar, Brittany and Santana started talking about Rachel's bachelorette party, with Kurt facilitating the discussion.

Rachel was walking by herself until Blaine slipped his hand into hers. She beamed at him and said, "You're not helping the boys pick out Finn's bachelor's party stuff?"

"Nah, though you looked a little lonely," He said, shrugging. She rested her head on his shoulder and smiled.

"Stop them from including strippers, will you?" She asked, and he laughed.

"I can do that."

"Thanks," Rachel said with a laugh and they continued the walk in companionable silence.

**I will admit, a Blaine/Rachel romance definitely intrigues me, but I will forever be a Finn/Rachel shipper, that's what this story is of course! But I love Blaine/Rachel friendship too, so there it is. I hope you're enjoying this story so far, and thanks so much for reading!**


	13. Man Of Honor

**Chapter 13, and time to bask in the glory of winning Nationals! And also, Finn and Rachel have to announce who will be in their wedding party…**

**Enjoy!**

When they reached the hotel, they filed into one room and started pouring over the room service menu. One of the perks of being national champions was that they got to pick whatever they wanted from menu at the hotel they were staying at for free for one night, the night they became national champions.

After their orders had been placed, Finn and Rachel stood up in front of the windows and Finn started off by saying, "Me and Rachel have been thinking a lot about our wedding and everything,"

"And we realized that we never officially picked our bridesmaids and groomsmen," Rachel finished, and squeezing Finn's hand. "And then we had a dilemma, but we worked it out."

Finn turned to Kurt and smiled, "Kurt, I'll admit that we had some problems early on when we were going to become step-brothers, but I'll tell you that you're more my real brother than anything else. Sorry, Puckerman, but I gotta ask my brother Kurt to be my best man,"

"Of course!" Kurt trilled, hugging Finn tightly. Rachel beamed at them and then turned to Blaine.

"I realize that our short-lived, ridiculous attempt at a romantic relationship should've complicated our relationship, but you've become one of my best friends, Blaine. I know this is unconventional, but this whole wedding is unconventional really, so would you be my _man_ of honor?"

"I would be honored," Blaine said with a chuckle, getting up and hugging Rachel. She whispered in his ear,

"This way you and Kurt can walk down the aisle together,"

"Thank you," Blaine whispered back, and then sat down next to Kurt, taking his hand.

"Puck, Sam, Artie, Mike, will you be my groomsmen?" Finn asked next, appealing to all the guys in New Directions. They all nodded and grinned at Finn, all of them hugging him as Rachel turned to the girls.

"Quinn, Mercedes, Sugar, Tina, Brittany, Santana, will you be my bridesmaids?" Rachel asked, and they all started laughing and nodding as they got up to hug her.

"Don't the boys outnumber the girls?" Brittany asked in confusion, and Rachel smiled.

"Yes they do. You can pair up however you want, but Finn and I were thinking that you could walk down the aisle with Santana,"

"Are you serious?" Santana asked quietly, and both Rachel and Finn nodded.

"You two are part of our family as far as we're concerned, and anyone who has something negative to say about it is not invited to our wedding," Rachel declared and hugged Santana and Brittany.

Puck and Quinn paired up, as did Sam and Mercedes, Mike and Tina were a given pair and then Artie and Sugar paired up. Then there was a knock at the door, sounding the arrival of their food. Rachel sat down next to Kurt and bumped shoulders with him.

"I fought for you when Finn and I were talking about this," Rachel told him and Kurt smiled.

"I know you did. But why didn't you pick Mercedes for your maid of honor?"

"Because I wanted you and Blaine to walk down the aisle, plus the one weekend that Finn and I had a terrible fight and you were gone with your dad and Carole to a fashion show, he and I pretty much spent the weekend together, just being friends. It was a really nice thing for him to do, and ever since I've considered him one of my best friends. Plus there's that whole 'I'm living at his house now' thing, and I adore his family, they're awesome people, especially his sister," Rachel explained, and Kurt nodded.

"He is a fantastic person," He said dreamily, and Rachel rolled her eyes.

"You're lucky, you almost had to walk down the aisle with Puckerman," Rachel said, and Kurt went still.

"I would have done it too, just because I love you," He said with a smile, and she laughed.

"Love you too, Kurt," And then she took a bite of her vegan lasagna. "Wanna try it?" She offered him a bite, and he took it.

"I still don't understand how you eat vegan food all the time," Kurt shuddered as he washed the lasagna down with a glass of water.

"Ask Finn, he likes some of it," Rachel said as she thoughtfully chewed her next bite.

The New Directions party continued all throughout the night, and the next morning they all were exhausted as they packed and headed to the airport. On the plane there was no wedding plans being made because pretty much everyone was asleep. Mr. Schue woke up once and glanced over the entire group to make sure they were all okay, and he smiled at the fact that they were all paired up. Rachel was snuggled into Finn's arms, Quinn had her head on Puck's shoulder, Sam had his arm around Mercedes' shoulders, Sugar was curled in Artie's lap, Mike's head was on Tina's shoulder, Brittany and Santana had their hands linked and Kurt had his head on Blaine's shoulder.

His gaze was drawn to Rachel as she frowned in her sleep, and her right hand moved to her left, covering and protecting the engagement ring she wore. "No, dads, no," She whimpered in her sleep, and Mr. Schue's heart sank. He knew how hard it was for Rachel to go on doing something without her fathers' approval and support. He also knew why the Berrys didn't want Rachel to marry Finn at such a young age, but if she was going to do it with or without their blessing, why not give it to her? She was miserable, and Mr. Schue was sure that her dads were just as miserable.

Life sometimes just sucked.

When the plane landed in Ohio, Finn had to shake Rachel awake. "Are we home?" she asked sleepily, looking around.

"Yeah, sweetheart, we're home," Finn said quietly, brushing the hair off of her face. She smiled at him and stretched, yawning as Mr. Schue got up and opened the overhead compartment doors.

"All right, New Directions, get your carry-on bags and meet me off the plane to get the rest of our luggage," He instructed, and Finn got up to grab both his and Rachel's bags. She followed him off the plane and her eyes grew wide when she saw the entourage waiting for them.

Everyone's parents were there with signs and they were cheering and yelling loudly for the national champions. Rachel's eyes quickly scoured the area but she didn't see her dads there. That wasn't a surprise, but it still hurt.

"We're so proud of you!" Carole exclaimed, grabbing both Finn and Rachel in a huge hug.

"And we wanted to tell the two of you that we're giving you our blessing to get married," Burt said as he walked up, and Carole nodded.

"We decided that we love you both, and we want you to be a part of our family, Rachel, and if you two are sure that getting married is truly the right thing to do…" Carole left her statement hanging, and Rachel nodded.

"We're sure, Mom. This feels right," Finn stressed, and Rachel added,

"All we ever wanted was your blessing. If this is a mistake, which I absolutely think it is _not_, then we'll have to deal with that."

"We love each other, and we'll be together for the rest of our lives," Finn said simply, and Carole hugged the both of them.

"I tried to talk some sense into your dads, Rachel, but they're being stubborn fools about this," Carole said in Rachel's ear, and she nodded sadly.

"Thank you for trying," Rachel said quietly, and then stepped to the side. She watched all of the New Direction members be embraced by their family and congratulated on winning Nationals.

"Rachel!" Annabelle Anderson exclaimed, running up to her and giving her a huge hug. "Congrats!" The young girl squealed, and Rachel couldn't help but grin.

"Thanks, Belle,"

"You're still coming home with us, right?" She asked, and Rachel nodded.

"If that's still okay with you and your parents,"

"Of course!" She trilled, and grabbed Rachel's hand, pulling her back into the throng of people. Eventually they all got their luggage and out of the airport, heading home to sleep off their exhaustion. School would be starting bright and early the next day, and Mr. Schue was quick to remind them that skipping would not be tolerated. He was a teacher at heart.

School did dawn bright and early the next day, and there were posters everywhere reminding the seniors to get their caps and gowns ordered, and all the other things that had to be done before they graduated. Senioritis was taking full effect at McKinley, and it was definitely affecting everyone in the Glee club.

"NYADA," Kurt and Rachel would sigh before diving back into wedding plans. The Finchel wedding wouldn't take place until one week after graduation, which means they only had a little over two months. Burt and Carole were pitching in to help pay for the small wedding, and both Finn and Rachel were using some of their wages from their jobs to pay for the rest.

Kurt and Rachel were making the decorations themselves, with a lot of help from the Glee club girls. They were renting a small chapel on the outskirts of Lima for a few hours for the ceremony, and then Sugar's wedding present to them had been to have her dad book Breadstix for their reception, and the Glee girls were going to decorate it for them as a wedding present from all of them.

It was getting intense, balancing the wedding preparations and graduation preparations, but Kurt and Rachel were handling it, with help from the Glee club.

Finally, the day came for the final fitting of the dresses for the bridesmaids and the bride. Puck and Sam were given the serious task of keeping Finn busy for the entire Saturday while all of the girls trooped to David's Bridal. The girls were all wearing the same color, a bright pink, and different variations. Quinn and Santana had spaghetti-strap dresses, Mercedes and Brittany had short-sleeved dresses, and Tina and Sugar had halter-top dresses.

Rachel was whisked into the back room to dress on the dress she had picked out and had been altered to her exact measurements. She slipped it on and the woman helping her zipped it up. Rachel stepped up to the mirror area and looked at herself critically.

"Oh. My. God." Kurt's voice said from the doorway.

"Is it that bad?" Rachel fretted.

"Absolutely not. You look amazing, Rachel, breathtakingly beautiful," Kurt said with a sigh, clapping his hands together.

"Thank you, Kurt," Rachel said, turning to smile at her best friend. "For everything,"

"Anything for you, diva," He said with a smile, and then left her to get changed.

**I know, taking a plane from Chicago to Lima and vice versa is silly, but I was originally under the impression that they'd be going to New York again, and then when I found out it was Chicago…I just left it like that. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you're enjoying the story so far!**


	14. Rejection

**This is the beginning of graduation! I changed it around compared to what happened in the series, and I hope you like it!**

**Enjoy!**

It was one week until graduation, and Mr. Schue pulled all of the seniors from Glee club aside. Rachel, Finn, Kurt, Quinn, Mercedes, Santana, Puck and Mike were standing in Mr. Schue's office.

"What's up Mr. Schue?" Finn asked, holding Rachel's hand.

He looked at all of his seniors with a smile. "I wanted to ask all of you if you would do a sort of 'farewell' song for the rest of the Glee club at graduation. Principal Figgins asked if the Glee club would be the music at graduation this year, and I agreed."

"When would we sing it?" Rachel asked, already scheming ideas.

"I've already arranged it with Figgins, after his welcome speech is when you'll sing it."

"Sounds great," Quinn said with a smile, and Rachel immediately started talking about ideas as Mr. Schue slipped out to talk to the rest of the Glee club.

"What's going on in there Mr. Schue?" Brittany asked, and Mr. Schue glanced at his closed office door before saying,

"I want all of you to perform some kind of song for the seniors that are graduating. Maybe a good luck song, maybe a goodbye song, whatever you guys want to do. We're going to be the music at graduation this year."

"That sounds really touching," Tina said with a smile

"You guys get to working on that song, and I'll pick some traditional songs out for when the graduates are walking in and all that." Mr. Schue said, and watched as the kids got to work.

He walked over to the piano and grabbed a pad of paper, starting to think of ideas for songs for the entire club to sing together while the seniors worked on their song and the underclassmen worked on their song.

Throughout the entire week, the Glee club worked separately on their songs for graduation, and came together during rehearsal time for the songs they would sing together as a single club. As the days passed by, Rachel became more and more depressed. Finn tried to get her to open up and tell him what was wrong, but she would stubbornly remain silent. Finally he appealed to Kurt to get her to talk, but even he couldn't do anything.

"I have no clue what to do," Finn said, shaking his head. Kurt sighed, saying,

"I know. I can't believe she wouldn't tell me what's wrong,"

"What's going on?" Blaine asked, walking up and taking Kurt's hand.

"Something's wrong with Rachel. She's been getting really depressed and she won't talk to me or Kurt," Finn agonized, and Blaine suggested,

"She's in the auditorium right now, I didn't hear her singing but I think she's still there,"

Finn nodded and left the couple, headed straight to the auditorium. He stepped inside and saw her standing on the stage, glancing around. Finn waited in the wings, watching her, and his heart broke a little as she opened her mouth and began to sing sadly,

"The broken clock is a comfort

It helps me sleep tonight

Maybe it can stop tomorrow

From stealing all my time

And I am still here waiting

Though I still have my doubts

I am damaged at best

Like you've already figured out

I'm falling apart

I'm barely breathing

With a broken heart

That's still beating

In the pain

There is healing

In your name

I find meaning"

Finn stepped out, opening his mouth and started to sing. Rachel jerked around and when she was it was him, she just stood there, her eyes locked on his as he slowly approached her.

"The broken locks were a warning

You got inside my head

I tried my best to be guarded

I'm an open book instead

I still see your reflection

Inside of my eyes

That are looking for purpose

They're still looking for life

I'm falling apart

I'm barely breathing

With a broken heart

That's still beating

In the pain

Is there healing?

In you name

I find meaning"

"So I'm holding on" Rachel sang quietly, unable to take her eyes away from Finn's gaze.

"I'm still holding" He sang back,

"I'm holding on" Rachel sang,

"I'm still holding" Finn sang,

"I'm holding on" Rachel sang

"I'm still holding" Finn sang as he finally reached her, and he held his hand out to her.

"I'm barely holding on to you" They sang together as she reached out and took his hand.

"I'm hanging on

Another day

Just to see what

You will throw my way

Well I'm hanging on

To what you say

You said that I will

Will be okay"

Rachel and Finn sang together as they started slowly circling each other, still holding hands and never once did they let go, even as Rachel sang alone,

"The broken lights on the freeway

Left me here alone

I may have lost my way now

Haven't forgotten

My way home"

Rachel and Finn sang the last chorus together, not once taking their eyes off of each other for a single moment as they circled each other and sang,

"I'm falling apart

I'm barely breathing

With a broken heart

That's still beating

In the pain

There is healing

In you name

I find meaning"

"So I'm holding on" Rachel sang quietly

"I'm still holding" He sang back,

"I'm holding on" Rachel sang,

"I'm still holding" Finn sang,

"I'm holding on" Rachel sang

"I'm still holding" Finn sang and he stopped moving and just pulled her into his arms

"I'm barely holding on to you" They sang together as she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest, sobs wracking her tiny frame.

"Please tell me what's wrong," Finn begged, and Rachel drew back, saying in a quiet tone,

"I sent two graduation tickets to my dads…"

"Oh my God, they returned them didn't they?"

"Unopened," Rachel said, tears rolling down her cheeks. Finn pulled her into his arms and rocked her gently, closing his eyes at the sound of her sobs. He absolutely hated seeing her in that much pain, he could barely stand it. All he wanted was for her to be happy, and she definitely wasn't happy in that moment.

"I'm so sorry, Rach,"

"It's okay, it's not your fault," Rachel said, drawing back and as Finn wiped her tears away, he was thinking to himself,

'I'm not so sure about that…'

"I'm sorry I've been pushing you away this past week, I just was trying to deal with it on my own. Obviously I couldn't do that," Rachel said, pushing her hair out of her face.

"Hey," He said, catching her chin and making her look at him. "You can talk to me about anything, big or small, good or bad. You're my fiancée, Rachel, the only girl in this world that I love," Finn said gently.

"I love you too," Rachel said, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. He pulled her close for a long moment and then pressed his forehead to hers.

"We should probably get to Glee rehearsal,"

"Good idea," She whispered, and kissed him one last time before linking her hand with his and walking to the choir room for the second-to-last Glee rehearsal they would ever have.

It was a few days before graduation when all the seniors went to Finn and Kurt's house to rehearse their farewell number they would sing to the other kids in the Glee club that wouldn't be graduating. Rachel and Quinn showed the others the simple choreography that they had worked out in their spare time, and then Rachel plugged her iPod into Finn's speakers and played the version they would be singing of the song they had picked out.

Rachel handed out the sheet music and then they all trooped into the basement, where there was a piano in the corner. They all stayed down there for a few hours, determined to memorize most of it before they went home. Eventually they all emerged from the basement, and Carole was ready with a plate of cookies and a pitcher of lemonade. She made a batch of vegan cookies for Rachel and wrapped most of them up for her to take to Blaine's with her. Carole also made sure that there was water for Rachel to drink.

"Thank you Mrs. Hudson-Hummel," Rachel said gratefully, and Carole wrapped an arm around the young woman's shoulders.

"Please, Rachel, call me Carole. You're going to be my daughter-in-law after all,"

Rachel smiled and pulled out her phone, saying, "Do you want to see a picture of the dress?"

"Do I ever!" Carole exclaimed, and Rachel scrolled through her photos, showing her the pictures from the final fitting. Kurt eventually came over and started going through all of the plans with the two ladies, and Finn eyed them like he knew he should be over there, but at the same time he didn't want to go. Rachel caught his eye and shook her head, smiling at him and letting him know that he wasn't expected to take part in the wedding jabbering going on.

Meanwhile, the others were at Artie's house, rehearsing their number for the seniors. "This is totally gonna show them that while we are seriously going to miss them," Brittany started to say and Blaine finished her thought out with,

"We are completely capable of winning Nationals on our own,"

Tina and Sam had picked out the song, and Blaine and Brittany worked on the choreography. They didn't have much to work with, considering it was a small stage that they were going to be performing on. Eventually they had the music memorized and the choreography worked out and taught, and they were ready for graduation.

And so were the seniors. Graduation day had finally arrived.

**I tried to sneak in a little Carole/Rachel mother/daughter, since Rachel clearly isn't getting any parenting from her parents. I know in the series they're a whole lot nicer, but making them mean worked for the story. Maybe there'll be a happy ending, eventually. Graduation here we come in the next chapter! Thanks for reading and I hope you like the story so far!**


	15. Friends Forever

**Chapter 15 is up and it is time for graduation! A bittersweet occasion for anyone…I should know, some of my best friends just graduated and I'm still stuck in high school for another year. Anyways, this chapter holds both the seniors song and the underclassmen song. **

**Enjoy!**

Rachel awoke the morning of graduation, and while she felt sad over her dads not being there, she grinned and hopped out of bed, beginning her morning routine. There would be a few hours before the ceremony would begin, but until then she had a lot of work to do. She had to make sure her outfit was completely prepared, make sure everything else was in place, check on the final wedding details, go for a quick dress fitting to make sure everything was still good and then she had to make some room for Finn because he wanted to take her out to lunch.

Somehow she managed all that and when it came time to get dressed, she still had a boatload of energy left. Blaine was home from school (since the seniors got out a week earlier than the others) and he was yelling up the stairs for her to hurry up when she was putting the finishing touches of her makeup on. Rachel grabbed her cap and gown and hurried downstairs, where Finn, Kurt, their parents and Blaine were waiting for her.

"You look beautiful," Finn told her, kissing her.

"All right, we all look beautiful, now let's go!" Kurt exclaimed, all but shoving the two lovebirds out the door. The ride to graduation was completely crazy, with the three graduates chattering about anything and everything, and Blaine was included in the conversations.

They pulled up to the arena where the ceremony would be held, and Kurt, Rachel and Finn pulled her gowns on and fitted each other's caps on their heads. "You and Quinn found the perfect song," Kurt told Rachel as they stepped inside the arena.

"I thought so too, I'm going to cry," She whispered, and he smiled, patting his pocket under his gown.

"Don't worry, I've got tissues,"

"You're a lifesaver Kurt Hummel," Rachel said, slipping her arm into the crook of his elbow.

"I completely agree," He said with an exaggerated air, and she laughed as they were filed into a line. Rachel was pushed up towards the front, along with Kurt, because they were in the top 10. First in line were the class officers, then the top 10 graduates and then it went by alphabetical order.

As the Glee club sang a traditional graduation entrance song with the band playing, they all walked in and took their seats. Mr. Schue came up to the microphone after Principal Figgins made the welcome speech.

"I'd like to invite the underclassmen of the Glee club to come up here and sing a song for the graduating Glee members, wishing them all the best of luck as they pursue their dreams and hoping they find happiness along the way," He said, looking at all the class of 2012 Glee kids. He could still see them when he first met them, and he was so proud of the way they had grown and matured into the young adults he saw sitting in front of him.

He stepped aside as Blaine, Artie, Tina, Brittany, Sugar and Sam took their places and the music started playing.

Brittany opened her mouth first, grabbing onto Sugar's hand as she sang,

"I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow

And each road leads you where you wanna go"

Sugar was next, looking at all the seniors as she sang,

"And if you're faced with a choice and you have to choose

I hope you choose the one that means the most to you"

Tina was next, she stepped up next to Sugar and took her hand, singing,

"And if one door opens to another door closed

I hope you keep on walking 'til you find the window"

Sam took Tina's hand and smiled at both Rachel and Quinn as he sang,

"If it's cold outside

Show the world the warmth of your smile"

All of them sang the next two lines together,

"But more than anything

More than anything"

"My wish for you is that life becomes all that you want it to

Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small

You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there getting where you're getting to  
>I hope you know somebody loves you<p>

And wants the same things to

Yeah this is my wish"

Artie wheeled up and sang the next few lines

"I hope you never look back but you never forget

All the ones who love you and the place you left

I hope you always forgive and you never regret

And you help somebody every chance you get"

Blaine was the last one to step up and he smiled at all the seniors, singing,

"Oh you'd find God's grace in every mistake

And always give more than you take

But more than anything

Yeah more than anything"

All of them opened their mouths and sang,

"My wish for you is that life becomes all that you want it to

Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small

You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there getting where you're getting to  
>I hope you know somebody loves you<p>

And wants the same things to

Yeah this is my wish

Yea yeah yeah"

They all took small solos in the last chorus, but they all came together at the end to sing,

"My wish for you is that life becomes all that you want it to

Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small

You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there getting where you're getting to  
>I hope you know somebody loves you<p>

And wants the same things to

Yeah this is my wish

This is my wish

I hope you know somebody loves you

May all your dreams stay big"

As the music faded out, Rachel, Finn, Kurt, Quinn, Puck, Mercedes, Santana and Mike all stood up and started clapping, and Rachel, Quinn and Kurt were wiping tears from their eyes. They were going to go give them all a hug when Mr. Schue took the microphone again and said,

"And now the seniors from Glee club have prepared a number to sing to both each other and the underclassmen in Glee."

The seniors got up in the cap and gowns and took their places as the music started. They were standing in a line and they took each other's hands, Finn was first and was holding Rachel's hand, she was holding Kurt's, he was holding Quinn's, she was holding Puck's, he was holding Santana's, she was holding Mercedes' and she was holding Mike's. They swayed to the music.

Quinn was the first one to sing, smiling at the underclassmen as she sang,

"Packing up the dreams God planted

In the fertile soil of you"

Puck was next, squeezing Quinn's hand and he sang,

"Can't believe the hopes He's granted

Means a chapter in your life is through"

Mike sang his lines next, smiling at Tina as he sang,

"But we'll keep you close as always

It won't even seem you've gone"

Santana sang the next few lines,

"'Cause our hearts get big and small ways

Will keep the love that keeps us strong"

All the seniors came together to sing the chorus,

"And friends are friends forever

If the Lord's the Lord of them

And a friend will not say never

'Cause the welcome will not end

Though it's hard to let you go

In the Father's hands we know

That a lifetime's not too long to live as friends"

Mercedes was first this time, singing,

"With the faith and love God's given

Springing from the hope we know"

Kurt was next, squeezing Rachel's hand and looking at Blaine as he sang,

"We will pray the joy you'll live in

Is the strength that now you show"

Finn sang next, he too squeezed Rachel's hand as he sang,

"But we'll keep you close as always

It won't even seem you've gone"

Rachel was the last one to have a solo, squeezing Finn and Kurt's hands and belting out,

"'Cause our hearts in big and small ways

Will keep the love that keeps us strong"

All the seniors sang the last chorus, and even Puck had a hard time trying not to cry.

"And friends are friends forever

If the Lord's the Lord of them

And a friend will not say never

'Cause the welcome will not end

Though it's hard to let you go

In the Father's hands we know

That a lifetime's not too long to live as friends"

The underclassmen in the Glee club swarmed the stage and hugs were passed all around before Mr. Schue ushered them off the stage. The seniors went back to their seats and the underclassmen sat in an area off to the side as the distribution of diplomas began.

Rachel was one of the first to be called, and she shook hands with Figgins and posed for a picture before walking down and seeing Mr. Schue waiting for her. She grinned and threw her arms around his neck and he held her tightly. "I'm so proud of you, Rachel," He was, and he also knew that she needed to hear the words that were supposed to be coming from her two dads.

"Thanks, Mr. Schue," She whispered, glad that someone was there that was proud of her since her dads weren't.

"Your dads are extremely proud of you too, don't ever doubt that," He said, as if he read her mind. She half-smiled at him and he kissed her cheek. She squeezed his hands before going back to her seat. He greeted all of the other Glee kids when they had walked down the stairs, triumphant faces and diplomas clutched in their hands.

After all the seniors had received their diplomas and had sat back down, Mr. Figgins invited the entire Glee club up on stage to sing one final song. They all crowded around on the stage as the music began.

**I wasn't sure having the seniors sing 'Friends' by Michael W. Smith, but in my marching band, this is the song the seniors sing at the end of band camp, and it is so perfect, I had to use it. The other song was "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts. In the next chapter, it'll be time for the final song they get to sing together! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you're liking the story!**


	16. Good Life

**Welcome to chapter 16, which will include the entire Glee club singing one last song together, "Good Life" by OneRepublic. And then pictures after graduation will be taking place. Finally, something will be set into motion that isn't actually a good thing at all…**

**Enjoy!**

"Woke up in London yesterday

Found myself in the city near Piccadilly

Don't really know how I got here

I got some pictures on my phone

New names and numbers that I don't know

Address to places like Abbey Road

Day turns to night, night turns to whatever we want

We're young enough to say

Oh this has gotta be the good life

This has gotta be the good life

This could really be a good life, good life

Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight

Like this city is on fire tonight

This could really be a good life

A good, good life

To my friends in New York, I say hello

My friends in L.A. they don't know

Where I've been for the past few years or so

Paris to China to Col-or-ado

Sometimes there's airplanes I can't jump out

Sometimes there's bullshit that don't work now

We are god of stories but please tell me-e-e-e

What there is to complain about

When you're happy like a fool

Let it take you over

When everything is out

You gotta take it in

Oh this has gotta be the good life

This has gotta be the good life

This could really be a good life, good life

Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight

Like this city is on fire tonight

This could really be a good life

A good, good life

Hopelessly

I feel like there might be something that I'll miss

Hopelessly

I feel like the window closes oh so quick

Hopelessly

I'm taking a mental picture of you now

'Cuz hopelessly

The hope is we have so much to feel good about

Oh this has gotta be the good life

This has gotta be the good life

This could really be a good life, good life

Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight

Like this city is on fire tonight

This could really be a good life

A good, good life

Oh yeah

Good, good life

Good life

Ooh

Listen

My friends in New York, I say hello

My friends in L.A. they don't know

Where I've been for the past few years or so

Paris to China to Col-or-ado

Sometimes there's airplanes I can't jump out

Sometimes there's bullshit that don't work now

We are god of stories but please tell me-e-e-e

What there is to complain about"

Principal Figgins came back up to the podium and announced, "And now it is my honor to present to you, McKinley High's 2012 graduating class!" The seniors stood up and tossed their caps in the air with a loud, jubilant cry.

"We finally did it!" Rachel and Kurt screamed as they wrapped their arms around each other. Finn then swung Rachel into his arms and kissed her firmly on the mouth, murmuring,

"Congrats, Rachel,"

"Right back at you, Finn," She replied with a grin, and then grabbed his hand and bounded outside for pictures. Finn's mom and Kurt's dad were waiting to ambush them, and Finn withstood all of the pictures with a smile, only because Rachel kept reminding him that he had to smile.

And then the Glee club descended on them. Mr. Schue was instructed to hold the camera as all the Glee kids took a picture, and then took some small group shots and it continued until Mercedes grabbed the camera and Mr. Schue took a few dozen pictures with the graduating seniors.

"How does it feel to be national champions your senior year?" He asked them before the last picture, and they all had the biggest smiles ever as the camera flashed for the last time.

And with graduation, the trigger on the start gun for Rachel and Finn's wedding had been pulled. Kurt dragged Rachel to all of the last minute details for the wedding, and Rachel saw even less of Finn than she did before.

That began to worry her.

"Kurt, have you noticed something…odd about Finn?" Rachel questioned Kurt when they were headed to the final dress fitting.

"Well…he's been quiet lately, but nothing really out of the ordinary, why?"

"I haven't seen him much lately, what with the wedding plans and everything, but whenever I call him or anything, he cuts it short or just ignores me and calls me back later with some excuse,"

"Probably just wedding butterflies or something," Kurt said, and Rachel didn't seem convinced. "If it'll make you feel better, I'll try to talk to him or something, all right?"

"Thanks, Kurt, maybe I'm just being paranoid or something," Rachel said gratefully as Kurt drove off towards the dress place.

Later that night, Kurt walked into Finn's room and shut the door behind him. "All right, time to talk,"

"About what?" Finn said, hastily covering up the papers he had been sifting through.

"Oh you know what about…" Kurt snapped before snatching one of the papers from Finn's hand.

"Hey! Give that back to me!" Finn said angrily, and Kurt quickly read what it was.

"The Army? Finn, is this some kind of joke?" Kurt said with his mouth open.

"No…no it's not…" Finn muttered, snatching the papers back.

"And when were you planning on telling Rachel about this?"

"I…I…" Finn stuttered, and Kurt yelled,

"She's going to be your wife in two days and you don't trust her enough to tell her about thinking about joining the Army?"

"I don't want to disappoint her!" Finn bellowed, and Kurt's eyebrows furrowed. "She's going to New York and so are you, and you're both going to rock in NYADA, and I'm going to tag along and not be half as good at my college and…"

"I don't care, she loves you and that's all that matters, when are you going to see that?" Kurt cried out in frustration, and Finn shook his head.

"When she sees that I'm just going to drag her down in New York!" Finn yelled, and dropped his head into his hands.

"If that's what you think, Finn, you need to talk to her, you seriously need to talk to her,"

"I can't! I'll break her heart and that is the last thing…"

"Well, you ignoring her the last few days is hurting her more than you could ever imagine," Kurt snapped, and stormed out of Finn's room, slamming the door behind him.

"I love you and your son to death, Carole, but I can NOT believe what he's doing to Rachel," Kurt said as he dropped into the chair at the kitchen table.

"What now?" Carole asked, and Kurt sighed.

"He's seriously thinking about joining the army, and no he hasn't told Rachel."

"What is he planning on doing, marry Rachel and then just go their separate ways?" Carole said incredulously, and Kurt just sighed.

"No, I was thinking about something else," Finn said quietly from the doorway.

"What, then, is your brilliant plan?" Kurt said sarcastically, and Finn took a deep breath.

"I was going to drop Rachel off at the train station and send her to New York, without me. I've already talked to her dads and they'll be there waiting for her so she can settle into her apartment,"

Silence fell in the kitchen. "You…you did what?" Kurt fairly shrieked, leaping to his feet.

"When were you planning on doing this, Finn?" Carole asked calmly, and Finn said sheepishly,

"Before the wedding,"

"You mean like right before? Are you kidding me?" Kurt yelled, and just then Burt walked into the kitchen.

"What on earth is going on in here?"

"Finn has decided he wants to join the army instead of marrying Rachel," Kurt said, folding his arms and glaring at his step-brother.

"You make it sound so wrong," Finn argued, and Kurt threw his hands in the air.

"It is wrong!"

"Whoa, wait a minute, wait a minute, you don't want to marry Rachel anymore?" Burt questioned, and Finn shook his head, a miserable look on his face.

"No, I want to marry her so bad I can't go through with it. She would follow me anywhere, without a thought to her own dreams, and I won't be the cause of her not being a star, which is what she is."

"Who says you will be?" Kurt countered, and Burt asked gently,

"Have you talked to Rachel about this?"

"How can I? You know what she'll say," Finn said helplessly, and Kurt replied,

"And you know she's right! Why do you always insist on ruining your relationship with Rachel just when you're both happy?"

"Because she doesn't deserve me!" Finn burst out, and Kurt stood up, shaking his head.

"Either you talk to Rachel about this, Finn, or so help me I will tell her about this terrible surprise of yours."

"Kurt…" Burt warned, but Kurt shook his head.

"No! I refuse to stand by while you ruin both your life and Rachel's!" Kurt yelled, and stormed out of the house. He got in his car and headed to Blaine's, and then realized that Rachel would be there. With a muttered oath under his breath, he just drove around, grumbling about how Finn was a complete idiot.

**So I figured I might as well add something from the actual series, only I'm twisting it around and maybe it'll end up good for both Finn and Rachel. At least, it will if Kurt has anything to say about it! The next chapter will have Blaine and Rachel talking about her uncertainty where Finn is concerned, and lots of friendship between the two of them.**


	17. The Sound Of Music

**Chapter 17 has been posted! Like I said, Blaine and Rachel will have a chat about Finn, and then Finn has to think about Kurt's ultimatum. Will he still go through with his so-called brilliant plan? You'll find out eventually.**

**Enjoy!**

"All right, where's the blushing bride gone?" Blaine said as he stepped out of the kitchen, drying his hands from helping to clean the table off after dinner.

"Back up to her room. Blaine, I think something's wrong," His sister said in concern, and Blaine looked at her with furrowed brows.

"Why do you think that?"

"Because, Rachel's really depressed, and she won't talk to me about it," Annabelle said, and Blaine chuckled.

"Are you sure she's depressed? Maybe it's just wedding jitters,"

"Well, that's what I think she's depressed about. I think she thinks Finn's got wedding jitters,"

"Ah…I see…" Blaine said quietly, glancing towards the staircase.

"Just…cheer her up, okay Blaine?"

"I'll do my best, Anna," Blaine sighed, ruffling her hair as she kissed his cheek and bounded up to her bedroom, since it was her bedtime.

Blaine turned back into the kitchen and popped some popcorn, made sure it was vegan-edible, and then poured two glasses of lemonade. He grabbed a DVD and headed up the stairs towards Rachel's bedroom. He knocked, and heard her shuffling some stuff before her watery voice called, "Come in,"

"Hey, Rach," He said gently, and then saw her red-rimmed eyes and he quickly set the stuff he had brought on her desk before sitting next to her.

"Hey Blaine," She replied, hastily wiping her face.

"Talk to me," Blaine implored, reaching over and taking her hand.

"I…I can't explain it…I just get this weird feeling that Finn is pulling away from me, that he's hesitating about the wedding, about us, about everything! I don't know why and I can't tell you why I feel this way, but I just do!"

"Then talk to Finn,"

"I can't, are you kidding me? He'll think I'm trying to back out of the marriage, but I'm the one pushing for it to be in two days! When I was talking to him, he was thinking about pushing it back until I shot it down,"

"Did he tell you why he was thinking about pushing it back?"

"No, after that he clammed up and wouldn't talk to me about it at all. I just…I don't know what to think," Rachel admitted, dropping her head onto Blaine's shoulder.

"Well…I have some advice for you," Blaine said with a wry grin. She lifted her head up and raised one of her eyebrows.

"And what would that advice be?"

"Climb ev'ry mountain, ford every stream, follow every rainbow, 'til you find your dream!" Blaine sang in a falsetto, pretending to be an opera singer.

Rachel burst out laughing, shoving Blaine on his shoulder. "You're ridiculous," She laughed, and he chuckled.

"Yeah, I am. But I do have the movie in question if you'd like to watch it,"

"Are you serious?" Rachel asked with a smile on her face, and Blaine nodded as he got to his feet and grabbed the bowl of popcorn, her glass of lemonade and handed them to her. Then he grabbed his own glass and the DVD case.

"45th Anniversary edition," Blaine announced as he placed the DVD in the player and hit some buttons on the remote.

As Julie Andrews came on the screen, singing about the hills being alive, Rachel snuggled into Blaine's arms and tossed some popcorn kernels in her mouth.

Pretty soon she was singing along with all the words, and eventually Blaine joined her. They got up and attempted to dance the Laendler together, and then they danced and sang through the rest of the movie. When the final credits rolled, Rachel fell onto the bed, holding her sides from laughing so hard.

"Oh that Captain is a beautiful man," She sighed, and Blaine fell onto the bed next to her.

"Yes he is…but he's like 80 years old now,"

"Nu uh, he's only like 65, 70 years old," Rachel protested, and Blaine rolled onto his side, raising his eyebrows at her. "All right, all right, he's really old," She conceded, and Blaine chuckled.

"He's tall, dark and handsome, just your type," Blaine commented, and Rachel swatted at him.

"No, Finn's my type, duh,"

"Well, of course," Blaine said lightly, not wanting to head back down that path. He had Rachel smiling and laughing, he didn't want her depressed and crying again. The whole point of the movie was to cheer her up.

Blaine took a quick trip to his room while Rachel was in the bathroom and came back with Funny Girl in his hand. Rachel's eyes immediately lit up as he stuck the DVD in the player and fiddled with the remote until the movie started playing.

The two best friends watched movies until early in the morning, and Blaine glanced down to see Rachel asleep leaning against him with her arms wrapped around his waist. Instead of waking her by getting up, he carefully made himself comfortable and fell asleep as the credits rolled for Mary Poppins.

In the morning, Rachel awoke to find herself wrapped in someone's arms, and she almost thought she was with Finn until she remembered the night before. She and Blaine had fallen asleep watching movie musicals, and now it was the day before her wedding.

She smiled happily, thinking of shedding Miss Berry and becoming Mrs. Hudson. It took a few minutes, but eventually Blaine stirred, and Rachel leaned up and kissed his cheek, saying, "Thank you, Blaine,"

"For what?" He said sleepily, his arms tightening around Rachel automatically.

"For being there for me. And for cheering me up last night,"

"What are best friends for?" Blaine said with a grin, and they both sat up, stretching and yawning.

"Ah, it's a beautiful day," Rachel said with a smile, and Blaine chuckled,

"Just think, one more day and you become Mrs. Hudson,"

"I know," Rachel said happily, bouncing out of bed as her phone rang. "Hello?" She said cheerily, hoping it was Finn.

"Hello Rachel," A familiar voice said, and Rachel's breath caught in her throat.

"Shelby?"

"I was wondering, are you doing anything today?"

"Um…no…" Rachel said, confusion written all over her face and in her voice.

"I know it's out of the blue, but I'd like to talk to you, in person. Can you come to my apartment?"

"I thought you moved to New York," Rachel said a little coldly, thinking of how her mother had just up and left, with nothing but a note for her daughter.

"I'm back now, I came back for your wedding. Please, Rachel," Shelby all but begged, and Rachel sighed.

"All right." Shelby gave Rachel her address and then hung up. Blaine had stood up and was standing by Rachel, the many questions written all over his face.

"Was that your birth mother?"

"Yes, Shelby Corcoran. She, she wants to talk to me in person, she wants me to come to her apartment,"

"And you're going to go?"

"Well…she is my mother, and I would like her to be at my wedding, especially since my dads won't," Rachel said, and Blaine crossed his arms.

"Where was she when you…you…" He couldn't bring himself to say the word 'died' in connection with his best friend, so he just trailed off.

"I don't know," Rachel said sadly, and then sighed. "Like I said, she is my mother. She's hurt me more times than I can count in the past, but I should at least listen to her, you know? At least give her a chance to say she's sorry,"

"That's good of you, Rachel, if my parents did that to me I don't know if I'd be so forgiving," Blaine said, giving her a quick hug before she went to take a shower.

"I didn't say I would forgive her, I'm just going to give her a chance to apologize and see if she's actually sorry," Rachel called as she slipped into the bathroom, and Blaine shook his head and chuckled as he headed to his own room.

An hour later, Rachel left to go to Shelby's apartment and a few hours later, Blaine's cell phone rang. It was a text message from Mr. Schue, asking all the Glee kids to come to the train station in town to say goodbye.

When Blaine showed up, he saw everyone standing around Finn. He walked up just in time to hear him say, "…being the reason for that, it just, it makes me sick,"

"What makes you sick?" Blaine asked, stepping into the circle of Glee kids.

"Frankenteen over here is gonna break up with Berry and then send her to New York," Santana said in disbelief, staring at Finn as if he had gone crazy.

"What!?" Blaine all but yelled, and Finn raised his hands in surrender.

"Just, just listen to me! Listen!" Finn bellowed, and everyone stopped talking. "She told me she was thinking of postponing her departure to New York for a year so I could join her,"

"But I thought you were applying to one of those football/choir colleges in New York," Mr. Schue said, and Finn sighed.

"I did, but I got turned down. That's when Rachel told me she'd delay NYADA for a year,"

"She never told me that," Kurt said slowly, and Finn nodded earnestly.

"That's why I have to let her go. I have to set her free, otherwise she'll miss her chance, and I won't be the cause of that. I won't." He said firmly, and Kurt sighed.

"All right. But Finn, this is going to kill her, I hope you know that,"

"It'll kill me too, but I have to, I have to," Finn muttered, rubbing his face with his hands. "That's why I wanted you all here, to send her off,"

"Do you honestly think that'll help?" Blaine asked, and Finn said desperately,

"It's the only thing I can do,"

The Glee club was silent for a long moment, and then agreed to stay while Finn went and picked Rachel up at Shelby's apartment.

**The end of chapter 17! And yes, Finn will go through with what he did in the season 3 finale, but there are definitely a few twists coming in the upcoming chapters. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you like this story so far!**


	18. Last Kiss

**Welcome to chapter 18! And now Finn is going to get Rachel and head to the train station, while Rachel is unaware that her entire life is about to be tossed upside down.**

**Enjoy!**

Finn picked Rachel up and gave her a kiss as he started driving away. Rachel began chattering about the movie marathon she had with Blaine and the conversations she had with Shelby, of which included how Beth was doing, and how Puck and Quinn were doing, and Finn and her upcoming nuptials to him.

"She even asked how Mr. Schue was doing, and when I told her that he was engaged to Miss Pillsbury she seemed kind of sad,"

"Ms. Corcoran and Mr. Schue? No way," Finn said, shaking his head as he continued to drive.

"I know right? And then we talked about you for a while,"

"Good stuff I hope," Finn said nervously, and Rachel laughed.

"Oh of course. And we talked a little about NYADA and everything,"

"Did you tell her?"

"About…?"

"About you deciding to not go for a year?"

"No, I didn't tell her because she'll want to know what I'm doing in that year and we haven't figured that out yet," Rachel said practically, and Finn pulled into the train station parking lot. "Where are we?"

"The train station. You're on the 4:25 to New York. Your dads are going to meet you there and they're gonna…gonna help you with your dorms. It's a new school; you're gonna spend four years of your life there and you haven't even set foot in the place, so,"

"But I have all year to look at it,"

"You'll go there in the fall, because we're not getting married."

"You don't want to marry me?" Rachel asked in disbelief, fear creeping into her voice.

"I wanna marry you so badly I can't go through with it. The thought of you being stuck here for another year because of me, it makes me sick." Finn ground out, hating himself for putting that look on Rachel's face.

"Then come with me! Okay we…we can get married in New York and we can live in a little shoebox apartment together, it'll be romantic," Rachel said with a smile, and Finn shook his head.

"Do you love me?"

"Of course I do…" Rachel sounded shocked that he would even have to ask.

"Then tell me the truth, and not just something you'll think I want to hear. Are you a hundred percent sure you want to marry me?"

"No…no one is a hundred percent sure of anything,"

"I am. I am that sure you're something special. That this is just the beginning for you. You…you're gonna do amazing things but to get there, you gotta do these things on your own,"

"Wait…" Rachel began to realize what was going on, and she felt a knife being plunged into her heart.

"You gotta have these experiences on your own, I can't have them with you,"

"Wait…wait a minute…wait! Are you breaking up with me?"

"I'm setting you free,"

"Oh my God!" The knife in her heart twisted painfully as she began to cry.

"Look do you know how hard this is for me? How many times I've cried about this?" Finn said desperately, tears coming to his eyes.

"No, I'm not going, I am not going, not without you," Rachel stated, fighting to keep her tears in check.

"You don't have a choice I can't come with you,"

"Well then I'll stay here or I'll go wherever it is that you're going!" She cried out frantically, searching for some way to hold onto her Finn.

"Port Benny, Georgia? I need a chance to redeem my father, okay,"

"Oh…oh my God wait a minute, you're joining the Army? Are you insane? I can't believe this is happening right now," She began to cry in earnest, and then Finn reached over and took her hands, saying,

"Look, you're gonna get on that train, okay, and you're gonna go to New York, and you're gonna be a star. Without me. That's how much I love you. You hear me? Surrender. I…I know how hard that is for you because of how hard you hold onto stuff, but we're just gonna let go. And let the universe do its thing and if we're meant to be together, then we'll be together. Whether it's in a little shoebox apartment in New York or on the other side of the world. Okay? Will you do that for me? Will you surrender?"

"I love you so much," Rachel whispered, knowing that arguing with him was useless. He was even more stubborn than she was, and she knew she wouldn't win. She would love him forever; she would love him until the day she died, that much she knew for sure.

"I love you forever," Finn murmured, kissing her for a long moment and then got out, grabbing her suitcase from the car that Kurt had packed for her.

Rachel slowly got out of the car, wishing and praying fervently that this was all a dream, that she would wake up back in Blaine's house after watching movies all night long. Even as she got her ticket and started walking towards the platform, she was constantly fighting back tears.

And then she saw everyone from the Glee club up on the platform, obviously waiting for her. Clearly they had all known that this was going to happen and she was the only one left in the dark. With a deep breath she let herself be hugged by all her fellow Glee club members, and then she saw Kurt standing there.

She wrapped her arms around him and he said in her ear, "I'll be there before term starts, I want to spend as much time as possible with Blaine,"

"I understand," Rachel said, fighting back a fresh wave of tears. Kurt kissed her cheek and then she turned to Blaine, giving him a long hug and then to Mr. Schue, wrapping her arms around him for a long moment.

"You're going to be a star, Rachel, I know it," He said with a smile, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Rachel stepped closer to the train and turned to face Finn. Even as she stretched up and her lips touched his, she knew that this was their goodbye kiss. This was their last kiss.

Rachel got on the train and found a seat, sliding over to the window and seeing everyone wave at her, and seeing Puck's grin as he made a heart and mouthed 'I love you!' and Blaine blowing her a kiss. But she only had eyes for the boy she loved, staring at her with a heartbreaking expression in his eyes. They never broke eye contact, even as the train started moving. He began running after the train until he ran out of platform and Rachel hugged herself, crying as she began to sing to herself,

_I do remember_

_The swing of your step_

_The life of the party_

_You showing off again_

_And I roll my eyes_

_And then you pull me in_

_I'm not much for dancing_

_But for you I did_

_Because I love your handshake_

_Meeting my father_

_I love how you walk_

_With your hands in your pockets_

_How you kiss me when I was_

_In the middle of saying something_

_There's not a day I don't miss_

_Those rude interruptions_

_Now I'll go sit on the floor_

_Wearing your clothes_

_All that I know is_

_I don't know _

_How to be something you miss_

_Never thought we'd have a last kiss_

_Never imagined we'd end like this_

_Your name forever the name on my lips_

_So I'll watch your life in pictures_

_Like I used to watch you sleep_

_And I feel you forget me like I used to feel you breath_

_And I'll keep up with our old friends_

_Just to ask them how you are_

_Hope it's nice where you are_

_And I hope the sun shines_

_And it's a beautiful day_

_When something reminds you_

_You wish you had stayed_

_You can plan for a change in the weather and time_

_But I never planned on you changing your mind_

_So I'll go sit on the floor_

_Wearing your clothes_

_All that I know is_

_I don't know _

_How to be something you miss_

_Never thought we'd have a last kiss_

_Never imagined we'd end like this_

_Your name forever the name on my lips_

_Just like our last kiss_

_Forever the name on my lips_

_Forever the name on my lips_

_Just like our last_

Rachel grabbed her suitcase and stepped out of the train station into New York, staring at the scene around her. She just couldn't believe that she was finally here; she was finally in her dream city. As she walked to NYADA and where she would be rooming, she glanced at her left hand and saw Finn's ring.

Right then and there she resolved that she would never take it off, no matter what. She loved Finn, and that was the end of the story. Besides, she wouldn't have any time to deal with boys while studying at NYADA, she was planning on working hard and making it big.

Fear struck her as she made it to NYADA and the building she would be rooming in. This would be the first time she'd seen her dads since she went to live with Blaine's family, before Nationals. A big part of her was still very hurt from their words and actions, but at the same time she missed her dads. She wanted them back in her life, and she would do anything to get them back.

With a deep breath, she started up to her room.

**Well, Finn did break up with her, but like I said, there's gonna be some twists and turns coming up in the next few chapters. In chapter 19, though, Rachel will come face to face with her dads, and you'll find out whether she'll forgive them or not. Then Rachel starts to settle into New York, and Kurt comes just in time for term to start. How will the Lima natives like NYADA? You'll find out! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you like the story so far!**

**PS: the song that Rachel sang at the end was "Last Kiss" by Taylor Swift**


	19. When You're Gone

**Chapter 19 has been updated! Now it's time for Rachel to see her dads, whom she hasn't seen or talked to in many weeks, and then Kurt shows up just in time for the term to start. They're going to be living together, since they're living in an apartment, not one of the dorms.**

**Enjoy!**

Rachel knocked gently on the door to her and Kurt's new apartment on campus and the door was opened moments later. "Oh Rachel," Hiram sighed, reaching out and gently touching her face.

"Hi dads," She said quietly as she stepped into the apartment, and LeRoy took her suitcase and laid it by the sofa. Silence descended on the three of them, and she just looked coolly at both of them.

"Rachel," LeRoy started to say, but Hiram shook his head, saying,

"Shut up, LeRoy. We're so sorry, Rachel, about Finn, about the wedding, about everything, we're so sorry," His voice tapered into a whisper at the end, tears in his eyes.

"You sent back my graduation tickets. Do you know how that made me feel?" Rachel whispered, wrapping her arms around herself.

"We were wrong, Rachel," LeRoy said quietly, and Hiram nodded.

"We thought we were making a point, trying to make you see sense, but all we did was hurt you. I'll never forgive myself for not being there for you, Rach,"

"Nor I," LeRoy added, and Rachel bowed her head, fighting back tears.

"Well, you got your wish, Finn broke up with me before he sent me here," Rachel said, turning away and facing the window.

LeRoy and Hiram exchanged glances, having already known that. "But you're still wearing the ring," LeRoy pointed out, and Rachel whipped back around, saying,

"I don't care about his twisted sense of nobility, I am still his fiancée and I will be until the day he comes back from the Army and we get married. And if the two of you don't agree with that then you can just go back to Lima,"

"No, baby, we didn't expect you to stop loving Finn," Hiram said quickly, stepping over to his daughter and taking her hands.

"We just hate seeing you so miserable," LeRoy added, walking over and placing his hand on Rachel's shoulder.

"I missed you," Rachel sobbed, throwing herself into her dads' arms. They held her tightly and exchanged glances over her head.

"We missed you too," Hiram said, pressing a kiss to the top of Rachel's head.

"Now, how's about we show you around? We got a guided tour earlier today so we can show you everything," LeRoy said, drawing back and squeezing Rachel's hands.

"All right, I just need to freshen up from the train ride," Rachel said, excusing herself to the bathroom with her suitcase. She took a quick shower and couldn't stop the tears from coursing down her face as she kept seeing the sparkle of Finn's ring on her finger.

_I always needed time on my own_

_I never thought I_

_Need you there when I cry_

_And the days feel like years when I'm alone_

_And the bed where you lie_

_Is made up on your side_

_When you walk away_

_I count the steps that you take_

_Do you see how much I need you right now?_

_When you're gone_

_The pieces of my heart are missing you  
>When you're gone<em>

_That face I came to know is missing too_

_When you're gone_

_The words I need to hear_

_To always get me through the day_

_And make it okay_

_I miss you_

Rachel stopped singing as she stepped out of the shower and quickly dressed before stepping out to go with her dads around the NYADA campus. They stayed with her for the rest of the summer, taking her to Broadway shows and to different places in New York, but nothing seemed to cheer Rachel up.

"When's Kurt coming?" LeRoy asked one day as they were walking to Times Square to get something to eat.

"In a few weeks, he'll be here to settle in exactly a week before classes start,"

"Cutting it a little close isn't he?" Hiram commented, and Rachel swallowed hard, saying,

"He's spending all the time he can with Blaine,"

As their little girl grew sad again, Hiram wanted to smack himself for his comment.

Every night before Rachel went to bed, she'd write a letter to Finn, telling him about New York and how much she missed him and how much she wanted him to be there with her, and then she folded it up inside an envelope and stuck in one of her drawers in her desk. He'd never read those letters because she would never send them.

_I've never felt this way before_

_Everything that I do_

_Reminds me of you_

_And the clothes you left that lie on my floor_

_And they smell just like you_

_I love the things that you do_

_When you walk away_

_I count the steps that you take_

_Do you see how much I need you right now?_

_When you're gone_

_The pieces of my heart are missing you_

_When you're gone_

_That face I came to know is missing too_

_When you're gone_

_The words I need to hear_

_To always get me through the day_

_And make it okay_

_I miss you_

True to his word, exactly a week before classes at NYADA were due to begin, Kurt showed up with Burt and Carole and all of his stuff, and the rest of Rachel's stuff as well. Since Rachel's little suitcase wouldn't last her the whole summer, Kurt had gone and packed up her entire wardrobe and sent it to New York, and then said that he'd bring the rest of her stuff with him when he came before classes started.

"Kurt!" Rachel exclaimed, throwing her arms around her best friend.

"Rachel!" Kurt yelped, holding her tightly.

"I missed you so much," Rachel said, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Oh I missed you too," Kurt sighed, before drawing back and pulling her into his room presumably to begin unpacking but really he just needed to talk to her when their parents weren't around.

"You and Blaine okay?" Rachel asked as she sat cross-legged on Kurt's bed.

"Yeah, we're going to Skype every Friday night, and whenever else I get the chance," Kurt said a little sadly, clearly missing his boyfriend.

"That's good," Rachel said warmly, reaching out and taking his hands.

"Do you want to know about Finn?" Kurt asked hesitantly, and Rachel took a deep breath before nodding, saying,

"Yes, I really do,"

"He's not going to officially sign up to go to Army boot camp until after Christmas, he's gonna focus on working and saving up money before he goes,"

"I see," Rachel said quietly, twisting the ring on her finger.

"I'm sorry, Rachel, I really am," Kurt said quietly, squeezing her hands.

"Me too," She said with a sad smile, and then pushed Finn from her mind. "Let's get you unpacked and then I can show you around the campus!"

"Sounds like a plan," Kurt said and they began unpacking all of Kurt's stuff. When they were done, Burt, Carole, LeRoy and Hiram went with them on Kurt's tour of the campus, and then they prepared to leave since they were on the 9:30pm train back to Lima, Ohio.

They all went to dinner together, and while they were eating, LeRoy stood up with his glass in hand, saying, "I'd like to propose a toast, to the two NYADA students. Here's to a future life on Broadway for both of you!"

"To Kurt and Rachel," Hiram, Burt and Carole said, and they all clinked glasses. Kurt and Rachel smiled at their parents and while the others finished eating, Rachel couldn't eat anything else. She was painfully reminded of the last time she and her parents and Burt and Carole had a toast, and it was for her and Finn's impending marriage.

Burt, Carole, LeRoy and Hiram got on the train that night and Kurt and Rachel waved goodbye to them as the train pulled out of the station.

That night, like all the other nights before, Rachel wrote a letter to Finn, with tears sliding down her cheeks. She knew that she should try to move on with her life, but she just couldn't. Almost everything she did or said or heard or saw reminded her of Finn, and it twisted that knife in her heart a little more every time.

_We were made for each other_

_Out here forever_

_I know we were_

_Yea yeah_

_All I ever wanted for you to know_

_Everything I do_

_I'd give my heart and soul  
>I can hardly breathe<em>

_I need to feel you here with me_

_When you're gone_

_The pieces of my heart are missing you_

_When you're gone_

_That face I came to know is missing too_

_When you're gone_

_The words I need to hear_

_To always get me through the day_

_And make it okay_

_I miss you_

Rachel pulled the picture of Finn that she kept framed in her desk drawer out and traced his face before wrapping her arms around it and lying down on her bed, closing her eyes and whispering, "I miss you, Finn, I miss you so much,"

Miles away, in Lima, Ohio, Finn was pulling the framed picture of Rachel from his desk drawer and held it in his hands. When he got home from the train station, he basically went crazy, at least that's what Kurt called it.

He took everything that reminded him of Rachel in his room and put it all in a box, putting it downstairs in the basement. The only thing he allowed himself to keep in his room was Rachel's picture, and that he hid in the drawer. "I miss you, Rachel, I miss you so much," He breathed as he hugged her picture close to his heart and he laid down, closing his eyes.

**So basically both Rachel and Finn are completely miserable without each other, and pretty much everyone knows it. The next chapter will have Kurt and Rachel beginning their classes at NYADA, and one of them is enjoying it, while the other is hating it. You'll find out which one hates it in the next chapter. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you like this story so far!**

**PS: The song used to pretty much describe Rachel's feelings was "When You're Gone" by Avril Lavigne.**


	20. Without You

**Wow, made it all the way to chapter 20! And now, Kurt and Rachel's classes at NYADA are starting, and one of them seems to be having the time of their lives, while the other is struggling and barely making it through the classes. You're about to find out which is which! **

**Enjoy!**

A week later, classes began at NYADA and while both Kurt and Rachel started out shy, just like all the other freshmen, pretty soon it was expected of them to blossom and start fitting in. Kurt was able to do this wonderfully, making many new friends and disappointing quite a few people when they found out that he had a boyfriend waiting for him back home.

Rachel, on the other hand, was struggling. The instructors pushed her hard and were always upset or disappointed in her when she didn't rise to the occasion, and she didn't make any new friends. Acquaintances sure, but not friends.

It only took a few months for her dancing instructor to blow up and scream at her when she screwed up a move for the umpteenth time.

"What are you, a tiny oaf?! You know, I had high hopes for you when you waltzed into this class with your tiny body and tiny feet, but that's clearly an illusion. You can't even move to the beat, and you sure as hell can't remember which moves come when. You are a failure, Miss Berry, and how you even got into this class is a mystery to me. Get out of my class, get off of my stage, and never come back! OUT!" He roared, and Rachel, trembling, grabbed her bag and dashed out, tears splashing down her cheeks.

She ran to her and Kurt's apartment and desperately opened her laptop, pulling her Skype program up and dialing Finn's Skype number.

As soon as her call was answered she started blubbering, "Please, please, don't hang up, Finn, please, I need you, I need to talk to you, I need to see you,"

"Rachel?" A voice that wasn't Finn said, and Rachel snapped her head up to see Blaine looking at her with concern written all over his face.

"What…what're you doing?" Rachel asked in shock, and Blaine said,

"The Skype beep was sounding, and I thought it might be important so I answered it,"

"Oh," Rachel said faintly, and Blaine offered,

"I can try calling Finn to see where he is, because he's not here right now,"

"No, no, don't, this was a stupid idea anyways," Rachel said dismissively, and Blaine shook his head.

"No, Rachel, don't go,"

"Why are you at the Hummel-Hudson house anyways?"

"Because we're having a back to Glee party, and next to your house, this is next best place to have it," Blaine said wryly, and Rachel half-smiled. "So tell me what's wrong,"

"It's nothing, it's just," Rachel tried to brush off Blaine's concern, but he just shook his head.

"I don't think so. I'm here for you, Rachel, I know I'm not Finn but you're my best friend,"

Rachel sighed and then poured her heart out to him, telling him about how much she hated it at NYADA and how much she hated herself for that because NYADA was her ticket to Broadway.

"Is that Rachel?" A voice said from behind Blaine, and Rachel saw Tina's face in the background. "Hey Rachel!" Tina said with a grin, and Rachel mustered up a smile, saying,

"Hey Tina,"

Pretty soon everyone gathered around the computer, including Sugar, Artie, Brittany and Sam. They asked her dozens of questions about NYADA, and finally Rachel couldn't take it anymore.

"Guys, can we talk about something other than NYADA?" She said weakly, and they all looked at each other.

"Do you not like it there?" Tina asked hesitantly, and Rachel rubbed her face with her hands before admitted,

"No, I don't like it at all,"

"Rachel?" A new voice said, and Rachel looked up to see Blaine move out of the way and Mr. Schue took his place. "What's wrong with NYADA? I thought you and Kurt would love it there,"

"Kurt does, I just, I don't fit in, I should be in dance class right now but the instructor just screamed at me and told me to leave so I came here, and all my instructors just hate me," Rachel said, fighting back a fresh wave of tears.

"Oh Rachel," Mr. Schue sighed, and Rachel buried her face in her hands.

"I just want to go home," She whimpered, and then pulled herself together. "All right, enough with the pity party. Did you and Miss Pillsbury set a date yet?"

"Um, no, not yet, we were thinking about sometime in the winter, like in December, but Emma thinks it'll be too cold for her to wear her wedding dress so she wants to move it to the spring, early spring,"

"Well, just let me know the date and I will definitely be there," Rachel said with a warm smile, and Mr. Schue nodded while thinking that even without NYADA, Rachel would make it on Broadway. She had a fantastic voice and she could most definitely act, as evidenced by her complete emotional turnaround.

"Are you and Kurt coming back to Lima for Christmas?" Mr. Schue asked, and Rachel hesitated before shaking her head.

"No, I'm not coming back at all but Kurt's going to try to come back for a few days, I'm sorry,"

"It's okay, we'll see you at Mr. Schue's wedding," Tina said with a smile, and Rachel nodded.

"Most definitely."

Just then, the apartment door opened and Kurt rushed in. "Rachel!" He cried out, hurrying to her and wrapping his arms around her. "I heard what that bastard said to you, he had absolutely no right," Kurt said fiercely, and Rachel hugged him tightly.

"Thanks, Kurt, that means a lot to me,"

Kurt drew back and framed her face with his hands. "And trust me, most, if not all, of the student body agrees with me. No one likes that dance instructor, not even the other instructors,"

That's when he noticed the Skype window was up, and he could see Mr. Schue, Tina, Blaine, Sam, Brittany, Sugar and Artie. "Oh hey everybody," Kurt said, and Rachel explained,

"When I came back here I was upset and I tried calling Finn via Skype, but instead Blaine answered and they're having a back to Glee party,"

"That's great," Kurt exclaimed, and perched on the chair next to Rachel.

"So how're you liking NYADA Kurt?" Mr. Schue asked, and Kurt glanced at Rachel.

"I like it a lot, but at least my teachers are nice. Rachel had the worst luck in the world, she's got some of the worst, meanest teachers in the entire school,"

"Speaking of that, I need to go to my vocal technique class," Rachel said, glancing at her watch. "I'll talk to you guys later," She said to her Lima friends, and they all said goodbye as Kurt squeezed Rachel's hand and she left the apartment.

"All right, have any of you talked to Finn lately?" Kurt asked, and they all shook their heads except Mr. Schue.

"Yeah, I asked him to be my best man in my wedding, and he seemed happy about it, but he's miserable, just as miserable as Rachel is," Mr. Schue said sadly, and Kurt sighed.

"I just wish there was something we could do about it,"

"What can we do? Finn's being the most stubborn person in the world, and we can't ask Rachel to just give up her dreams," Blaine said practically, and Kurt sighed.

"I have no idea. I'll try to think of something,"

They made small talk and then everyone left Blaine to Skype with Kurt alone for a while. Then Kurt had to go to class and he blew Blaine a kiss before hurrying off to his acting class.

December rolled around, and Rachel was still hating her life every time she entered one of her classrooms for yet another lesson in hell.

The day before Christmas break came, and their vocal director told them they all were to write their own song and perform it in front of the class. Rachel was the last one to go, like usual, and she closed her eyes as she grabbed the microphone and began singing,

"_I've sure enjoyed the rain_

_But I'm looking forward to the sun_

_You have to feel the pain_

_When you lose the love you gave someone_

_I thought by now the time_

_Would take away these lonely tears_

_I hope you're doing fine all alone_

_But where do I go from here?_

'_Cause without you I'm not okay_

_And without you I've lost my way_

_My heart's stuck in second place_

_Ooo_

_Without you_

_Well I never thought I'd be_

_Lying here without you by my side_

_It seems unreal to me_

_That the life you promised was a lie_

_You made it look so easy_

_Making love into memories_

_I guess you got what you wanted_

_What about me?_

'_Cause without you I'm not okay_

_And without you I've lost my way_

_My heart's stuck in second place_

_Ooo_

_Without you"_

During the instrumental break, Rachel tried to reign her emotions in like she'd been doing for the past few months, but she realized that that was her problem. Trying to hide her emotions was no way to be an actress on Broadway, she had to let them show and let them shine. Abandoning all pretenses she let the tears fall as she sang,

"_Somebody tell my head_

_To try to tell my heart_

_That I'm better off_

_Without you_

'_Cause baby I can't live_

_Without you I'm not okay_

_And without you I've lost my way_

_My heart's stuck in second place_

_Ooo_

_Without you_

_Without you"_

As the last few notes rang out, Rachel looked out at her audience and waited for her teacher to either scream at her or throw her out of the classroom. As the teacher stood up to say something, her classmates started clapping and soon they all stood up, giving her a standing ovation. She smiled and wiped her tears away as she curtseyed to them.

"Well, Miss Berry, I only have one question: where on earth did that come from?" Her teacher asked, and Rachel said,

"I guess you could say it's been building up since the summer,"

"That's what we've all been looking for, Miss Berry! You can't hold back your emotions in Broadway, you have to bare your soul for everyone to see and hear! That's what makes you a Broadway legend!"

"I'll try, Mrs. Webster,"

"Good. Now, have a good Christmas break, all of you. And Miss Berry? Happy Hanukah,"

"Thank you Mrs. Webster," Rachel said and ran off the stage, beaming to herself as she hurried back to her and Kurt's apartment.

**Well we've made it to Christmas break, and some crap is definitely going to go down in the next chapter between Rachel and her dads. Yes, something big is gonna happen next, and it'll be explosive! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you like this story so far!**

**PS: The song "Without You" wasn't actually written by me (I wish!) it was written by a wonderful group known as the Dixie Chicks.**


	21. The Truth Comes Out

**Welcome to Chapter 21! Like I promised, some crap is really going to hit the fan in this chapter, mainly between Rachel and her dads. Remember how everyone thought it was Finn's idea to send Rachel to New York? Well…it wasn't really…you'll see.**

**Enjoy!**

It took a few days, but LeRoy and Hiram eventually managed to get on the train to New York and both Rachel and Kurt were waiting to meet them.

"Rachel!" Hiram exclaimed, wrapping his arms around his daughter.

"How's NYADA treating the two of you?" LeRoy asked, giving Kurt a hug. Then Hiram gave Kurt a hug and LeRoy hugged Rachel as Rachel replied,

"Not too bad,"

"It's really great here," Kurt enthused as the four of them made their way to the apartment. Rachel's dads would be staying with them, though they were originally going to get a hotel room. Rachel convinced them that she could sleep on the couch and they could have her bed.

"It's a little messy in here, we've been working on the homework our teachers have assigned us over the break," Rachel said apologetically as she unlocked the door and stepped inside.

"You call this messy?" Hiram said, shaking his head, and LeRoy laughed, saying,

"This is clean, Rachel, trust me. I've seen college apartments before, and they're like disaster zones,"

They made small talk for a while, and LeRoy and Hiram told the two teenagers about how things were going in Lima. Eventually they ordered pizza in, from a favorite vegan place that Rachel had grown to like in her time in New York City.

That night they all stayed up late playing Apples to Apples, and ended up going to bed around midnight. A few days later was when all four of them went to catch a Broadway play, and they all went to bed early that night.

Rachel couldn't sleep that night, so she crept to her bedroom, hoping to sneak in and grab a piece of paper to write another letter to Finn with. As she got closer to the door, she heard her dads talking. She knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but when she heard Finn's name she couldn't help but stop and listen.

"I still don't think it was right, LeRoy,"

"Did you want our daughter to end up married before she turned 20?" LeRoy snapped, and Hiram sighed, saying,

"But what if Finn's the one? Why should we deny them their love story?"

"We agreed, Hiram, remember what we told Finn? We believed that with all our hearts, didn't we?"

"But what if we were wrong? Can't you see how miserable Rachel is?"

"This'll be better for her in the long run, you'll see,"

"I can't help feeling that we were completely wrong when we told Finn that her future was in New York, that he'd only drag her down,"

"We told him that, but he made that decision on his own, you know that,"

"But we pushed him to it, and I don't think that was right,"

"Whether it was right or whether it was wrong, it's in the past and we can't change it now, we did what we had to for our daughter," LeRoy said firmly, and Hiram sighed.

"You did what!?" Rachel shrieked, everything finally making sense now.

"Rachel, what-what're you doing?" Hiram stammered, and Rachel yelled,

"You made Finn break up with me! I never understood where that came from, when he was acting all secretive and then at the train station, I was completely blindsided, and now I know why!"

"No, Rachel, you've got it wrong," LeRoy tried to say, but Rachel shook her head.

"No! I'm done with the lies! Tell me what you told Finn,"

"We told him that you belonged in New York, and that delaying your NYADA education by a year was a mistake," Hiram started to say, and LeRoy said,

"He said he already knew that,"

"And we gave him a solution to that, told him to send you to New York, a clean break, and then he could go redeem his father, in the Army," Hiram finished, sending LeRoy a glance that clearly said he was done with the lies.

"You…you did what!?" Rachel fairly shrieked, and Kurt came hurrying out of his bedroom.

"What on earth is going on here?" Kurt demanded, and Rachel all but ignored him.

"So I'm living in my own personal hell here, all because of you!" Rachel said, taking a step back from her dads, a hurtful betrayed look in her eyes.

"Rachel…" LeRoy started to say, standing up. Rachel threw her hands up, saying,

"No! Stay away from me!"

She took a few more steps back and then turned and bolted from the apartment, running down the stairs and out onto the campus. Rachel kept running until she made it to the train station where she found herself grateful she had her purse because she bought a ticket to Lima, Ohio that was leaving in a few minutes.

Within moments she was on the train to Lima, curled up in one of the seats, crying her eyes out. As she sat on the train, Kurt and her dads were searching for her and calling and texting her cell phone. Finally, Kurt realized exactly where she had gone: to Finn.

Immediately he pulled his cell phone out and called Blaine. "Hello?" Blaine said sleepily, and Kurt cursed Rachel's dads' timing.

"I'm so sorry, Blaine, but you gotta get up,"

"Why?" Blaine said with a yawn, and Kurt sighed.

"Rachel's currently on the train back to Lima, and you gotta be there to get here, she's gone a little off the deep end,"

"What do you mean off the deep end?" Blaine asked, but his voice was clearer now.

"Are you going to the train station?" Kurt asked, and Blaine replied quickly,

"Yes. Now tell me what happened."

"Rachel's dads were the ones that told Finn to let Rachel go and send her to New York, they were the ones that brought about the whole breakup," Kurt sighed, and Blaine inhaled sharply.

"Well. I'm leaving for the station now, I'll text you when I get her,"

"All right. Thank you, Blaine,"

"Hey, she's my best friend too," Blaine said with a wry smile and hung up as he sped off into the night towards the train station.

He pulled up and got out just as the train from New York pulled up. As he scanned the crowds, he saw a small brunette wearing her pajamas run off the train with her head down. Blaine hurried towards her and gently grabbed her arms. She jerked her head up with a gasp and when she saw that it was Blaine, she threw her arms around him.

"Oh Blaine," She sobbed, and he held her tightly.

"It'll be okay, Rachel, it'll be okay," Blaine soothed, rubbing her back. Eventually he led her to his car and took her back to his house. She slept fitfully that night, even though she slept wrapped in Blaine's arms at her request.

In the morning, Rachel took a shower and came downstairs to Anne leaping into her arms, yelling her name. Blaine had explained to his parents about what had happened, and they welcomed Rachel with open arms.

"Have you told her?" Blaine's mom said quietly, and Rachel looked at them.

"Told me what?"

"Finn is going today to sign up for Army boot camp," Blaine said quietly, and Rachel's face drained of all color as she slowly stood up.

"Rachel?" Anne said in concern, and Rachel managed to smile down at her.

"Blaine, can you take me there?"

"Now?"

"Now," Rachel said firmly, and Blaine nodded, grabbing his keys.

They got into Blaine's car and headed for the Army office. As the radio came on, Rachel's eyes filled up as she heard the song playing.

_This Romeo is bleeding_

_But you can't see his blood_

_There's nothing but some feelings_

_In this old dog kicked up_

_It's been raining since you left me_

_Now I'm drowning_

_In the flood_

_You see I've always been a fighter_

_But without you_

_I'd give up_

_Now I can't sing a love song_

_Like the way it's meant to be_

_I guess I'm not that good anymore_

_But baby that's just me_

_Yeah I_

_Will love you_

_Baby_

_Always_

_And I'll be there_

_Forever and ever baby_

_Always_

_I'll be there 'til the stars don't shine_

'_Til the heavens burst_

_And the sun don't shine_

_Even when I die_

_You'll be on my mind_

_And I love you_

_Always_

"Maybe I'm too late, maybe he's moved on, maybe…" Rachel fretted, twisting her hands as she glanced around for the sign for the Army recruitment center.

"Rachel, calm down," Blaine soothed, flipping the radio to a different station and a different song.

"I can't, I just can't believe that my life fell apart all because my of my dads, I just can't believe they'd do that!"

"I know, Rachel, and I'm not defending them, but look at it through their eyes. They believed they were protecting you, in the only way they knew how. I'm not saying it was right, but they didn't do it out of malice or anger, they did it out of love, for you,"

Rachel fell silent as she processed Blaine's words. "Maybe you're right," She whispered, hugging herself as Blaine pulled up to the Army recruitment center. Her eyes grew wide as she unfastened her seatbelt with shaking hands.

**And now for the moment of truth, Rachel's reunion with Finn after a whole semester of being apart and broken up. Now that the truth has come out, how will it affect Finchel? And will they ever get their happy ending? You'll find out in the next chapter, which will be posted soon. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you like this story so far!**

**PS: The song that Rachel heard on the radio was "Always" by Bon Jovi, I just love that song and I had to put it in here somewhere, if you haven't heard it then go listen to it, it's so emotionally powerful, I just love it 3**


	22. City Hall

**This is chapter 22! And now it's the moment of truth for Finchel, now that Rachel knows the real reason behind Finn's sudden break-up with Rachel. She's going to go rushing into that center, but will she find Finn in time or will he have already moved on and forgotten about her? Is that even possible, to forget about Rachel Berry? You'll find out!**

**Enjoy!**

Rachel opened the door to the car and glanced back at Blaine, who gave her an encouraging smile. With a quick smile for him she leapt out and raced to the door, yanking it open and dashing inside. She stopped only for a second, her eyes searching every face in the room to find her beloved Finn's face.

Finally, she saw him.

"FINN!" She yelled, immediately sprinting over to him. Finn looked at her in utter shock as she leapt into his arms, and his arms encircled her waist automatically as she buried her face in his shoulder and locked her legs around his waist.

"R-Rachel?" Finn stammered, holding her tightly.

"I don't care what you or anyone else says, I am not going back to New York without you, Finn, I just can't handle it! All of those teachers are terrible to me, and I can't cope without you! You're the light of my life, and you are where my home is, because you're where my heart is. I love you and I want to marry you and I don't care what my dads said to you, they're wrong, wrong, wrong! And your noble intentions won't stop us this time either, and if my dads don't support our wedding, then too bad, they're going to miss out on their only daughter's wedding, since there won't be any more. You're it for me, Finn, and I love you so much I think I'll die if I have to live without you for another day," Rachel sobbed out, talking so fast that while Finn understood every word she said, no one else did.

Finally, Finn couldn't take it anymore. He drew her head back and pressed his lips to hers, if only to keep her from talking anymore. In actuality, he couldn't go one more second without kissing Rachel.

"Rachel," He breathed as she slid down until she was standing on her own two feet. "Why…why aren't you in New York?" He asked in confusion, and she gently brushed her hand over his cheek.

"My dads, they came to visit for the holiday break, and I overheard them talking. Did they really tell you that delaying my NYADA education for a year was the best thing for me?"

"They implied it," Finn muttered and glanced down at the floor. Rachel shook her head, tilting Finn's head until he was looking at her.

"They were wrong. I'm a mess without you, Finn, I can barely function in New York without you," She whispered, and he shook his head.

"No, Rachel, you're a star in New York without me, and you have to go back," He pushed her away, but she grabbed onto his hands.

"I can't do this without you, Finn, I really can't," She stated, tears filling her eyes.

"You're Rachel Berry! You can do anything you want!" Finn yelled, trying to step back from Rachel but she just followed him.

"And I want you! When will you finally understand that you're my other half, my better half?"

"That's not right," Finn said, shaking his head.

"Yes it is! And I mean if this is your way of telling me you've moved on and you don't want me anymore, then just say it! Don't go beating around the bush, just say it!"

"Fine!" Finn bellowed, finally getting Rachel to let go of his hands. If this was the only way to get Rachel to chase her dreams, then he would do it. "I don't want you, Rachel, and you have to accept that. You have to go back to New York and forget about me," Finn turned away from her so she wouldn't see the tears in his eyes that betrayed the fact that he was lying through his teeth.

"No," Rachel whispered, and then grabbed his arm, yanking him around to face her. "No!" She all but screamed, and then locked her eyes with his. "Look me in the eyes, Finn Hudson, and tell me that you don't love me."

"Rachel," He breathed, and she shook her head violently.

"Tell me!" She demanded, knowing that he couldn't do it.

As Finn and Rachel were arguing, Kurt pulled up to the train station, along with the rest of the Glee club. Blaine happily gave his boyfriend a hug and kiss, and then asked in confusion, "What is everyone else doing here?"

"I called them all because I'm pretty sure I know what's going to happen after Finn and Rachel get back together," Kurt said, and Blaine grabbed his arm.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. Finn is trying to convince Rachel that she doesn't need him, and that he doesn't need her,"

"What!?" Kurt squealed, and then yanked the door open to the recruitment center.

"Tell me!" Rachel demanded, and Finn whispered miserably,

"Please don't ask me to do that,"

"Then why, Finn? Why won't you just let us be happy?" Rachel whispered, and Finn gently reached out and wiped her tears away.

"Because, I just can't, I can't be the one dragging you down," He murmured, and she shook her head, shoving away from Finn and all but pulling her hair out.

"When will you see what a mess I am without you! Call Kurt and ask him how miserable I was at NYADA, even with him there! Ask Blaine, Mr. Schue, Tina, any of them! They saw me on Skype one day when I was this close to going over the edge! I am nothing without you, Finn, do you hear me? Nothing!" Rachel insisted, and Finn opened his mouth and then closed it again.

"What-what are we going to do?" He whispered, and Rachel reached out for his hands again, saying,

"We're going to get married, and then we'll go from there, all right?"

"I love you," Finn murmured, and Rachel smiled her first genuine smile in months.

"I love you too," She said happily, throwing her arms around him and kissing him.

Applause erupted from behind them, and they broke the kiss to see the entire New Directions standing there, smiling and clapping for them.

"What are you guys doing here?" Rachel asked in shock, and Kurt ran up, throwing his arms around her.

"I came as soon as I could get a train ticket, and I called everyone to meet us here, since city hall is just down the street, and I managed to get you an emergency booking," Kurt said easily, and Finn raised his eyebrows.

"What if I told you she was going back to New York and we weren't getting married?"

"Then I would have to kill you," Kurt said flatly, squeezing Rachel's hand. "I've seen how miserable she is without you, Finn, and I have to say, breaking up with her like that was the stupidest thing you've ever done, and forgive me but that's saying something,"

"I know," Finn said quietly, reaching and brushing his hand down Rachel's cheek.

"Well? Let's go get married," Rachel said with a happy grin, and Finn beamed back at her.

"Sounds like a plan to me,"

The entire group walked down to city hall, and Kurt had called Burt and Carole to bring Finn's tux and Rachel's wedding dress. Mercedes, Quinn, Tina, Sugar, Santana and Brittany all brought their bridesmaid dresses, while Kurt, Blaine, Sam, Puck, Mike, Artie and Mr. Schue all brought their suits.

Sue, Coach Beiste and Emma met them at city hall, where the girls hustled Rachel away to get her dressed and do her makeup. The men changed into their suits and were waiting for the girls to come out in the bridesmaid dresses.

Pretty soon, Sugar and Brittany came out to get the men in their places and send the few guests to go sit down. Even though it was in the city hall, they were still going to have a bit of a ceremony, with the groomsmen escorting the bridesmaids down the short aisle.

Mercedes, Quinn, Tina and Santana came out and took their places. First, Artie and Sugar went down the aisle, followed by Mike and Tina. Then Santana and Brittany went, followed by Puck and Quinn, and then Sam and Mercedes. Finally, Kurt and Blaine walked down arm in arm, and Finn's eyes were riveted on the entrance, waiting for Rachel to appear.

When she finally stepped into view, Finn's heart start pumping madly and he smiled at his bride. She looked so beautiful standing there, smiling at him with tears shining in her eyes. Mr. Schue stood up as she appeared and offered her his arm, saying quietly,

"No girl should walk down the aisle alone,"

"Thank you Mr. Schue," Rachel whispered, taking his arm.

Mr. Schue escorted her down the aisle and when they made it to Finn, Mr. Schue took her hand and placed it in Finn's, kissing her cheek. She reached out and kissed his cheek, smiling tearfully at him before placing both of her hands in Finn's.

"Do you, Rachel Barbra Berry, take Finn Hudson to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," She said with a smile, and Finn slipped the ring on her left hand.

"Do you, Finn Hudson, take Rachel Barbra Berry to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," He said with tears in his eyes, and Rachel slipped the ring on his left hand.

"If anyone has any reason as to why these two shouldn't be wed, let them speak now or forever hold their peace," The minister said, glancing around the room.

Two figures in the back suddenly stood up, and everyone turned to look at them and Rachel gasped.

**Now, who could those two be? I'll let you guys guess until I post the next chapter, haha! And just to be clear, Finn really does love Rachel, he was just telling her that he didn't so she would leave and go be a star because he was positive he was only dragging her down. Anyway, thank you so much for reading and I hope you like this story so far!**


	23. I Loved Her First

**Chapter 23 is up! And now you'll discover the identity of the two people that stood up just before Finn and Rachel tied the knot, and you'll find out whether or not they're going to try and stop the marriage. And then the story goes on from there.**

**Enjoy!**

When the two figures stood up and everyone turned to look at them, Rachel saw and recognized them, one of her hands covering her mouth as she gasped,

"Dads?"

"Hi sweetheart," Hiram said as he took LeRoy's hand and they started walking down the aisle. Finn was clearly waiting on tenterhooks while Rachel's chin was up high, daring her dads to try and stop her wedding.

"What are you doing here?" Rachel asked suspiciously, and LeRoy held his hands up in surrender.

"We were wrong, okay Rachel?"

"Wrong about a lot of things," Hiram interjected, leveling a look at his husband.

"Yes, about a lot of things," LeRoy said quietly, and took a deep breath. "But we were especially wrong about you and Finn,"

"So does that mean you're giving us your blessing?" Rachel hedged, and Hiram nodded, saying,

"I'm sorry it took us this long to wake-up, sweetie, but we get it now. We get that the kind of love that you and Finn have is the same kind of love that your father and I have together,"

"Everlasting," LeRoy said gently, and Rachel threw her arms around Hiram's neck, tears coming to her eyes.

"Ah! Mascara!" Kurt whispered urgently, and Rachel immediately forced herself to not cry. Finn shook LeRoy's hand and then the older man pulled him into a hug.

"Welcome to the family, Finn," LeRoy said with a smile, and Finn drew back, saying,

"Thank you, sir,"

Then Rachel hugged LeRoy and Finn shook Hiram's hand, with that handshake also ending in a hug.

"And can you promise me one thing, dads?" Rachel asked as they stepped back.

"Anything," Hiram said resolutely, and Rachel begged,

"Please, no more lies,"

"Absolutely," Hiram replied, and LeRoy nodded, adding,

"No more lies, we promise,"

"Now, go on, kiss the bride and all that," Hiram shooed, pulling LeRoy into a seat.

The ceremony continued with the Jewish traditions being observed as well. Finally, the minister smiled at the two young adults and said happily, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride,"

Finn pulled Rachel close and kissed her, happy tears swimming in both of their eyes. When they drew back, their friends and family were clapping madly for them. Rachel beamed at all of them and then let out a surprised shriek when Finn pulled her up into his arms and carried her down the aisle.

"I love you, Mrs. Hudson," Finn whispered, kissing her again.

"I love you too, Mr. Hudson," Rachel whispered back, winding her arms around his neck for a short moment and then Kurt dragged them outside for pictures.

An hour and a half later, the wedding party had moved themselves to the little hall downtown, again arranged by Kurt.

"I believe I need Mr. and Mrs. Hudson on the dance floor for their first dance," Kurt said into the microphone, deciding on live entertainment, just like with Burt and Carole's wedding.

"This is 'Amazed' by Lonestar," Blaine said quietly, as Finn and Rachel turned to smile at him and then they began slow dancing, holding each other close as the music began to play. Blaine smiled at Kurt and then started to sing,

"_Every time our eyes meet_

_This feeling inside me_

_Is almost more than I can take_

_And baby when you touch me  
>I can feel how much you love me<em>

_And it just blows me away_

_I've never been this close to anyone_

_Or anything_

_I can hear your thoughts_

_I can see your dreams_

_I don't know how you do what you do_

_I'm so in love with you_

_It just keeps getting better_

_I wanna spend the rest of my life_

_With you by my side_

_Forever and ever_

_With every little thing that you do_

_Baby I'm amazed by you"_

Finn and Rachel shared another kiss before turning and clapping for Blaine when he came down off the stage and hugged Rachel and shook Finn's hand.

"And now, I need the rest of the wedding party on the dance floor," Kurt said, and then jumped off the stage himself as Rachel squeezed Finn's hand and went up to sing.

"This song is dedicated to you, Finn, in the hopes that you truly do realize just how much you mean to me, and how much I love you and need you," Rachel said with a smile as the music began to play.

Kurt and Blaine had their arms around each other, as did Brittany and Santana. Sugar and Artie were dancing, along with Sam and Mercedes, Mike and Tina, and Puck and Quinn.

"_I'm not always strong_

_And sometimes I'm even wrong_

_But I win when I choose_

_And I can't stand to lose_

_But I can't always be_

_The rock that you see_

_And when the nights get too long_

_And I just can't go on_

_The woman in me_

_Needs you to be_

_The man in my arms_

_To hold tenderly_

'_Cause I'm a woman in love_

_And it's you I run to_

_Yeah the woman in me_

_Needs the man in you_

_When the world wants too much_

_And it feels cold and out of touch_

_Well it's beautiful place_

_When you kiss my face_

_Yeah the woman_

_In me_

_Needs the man_

_In you"_

Everyone began clapping for Rachel as she carefully stepped off the stage and into Finn's arms, whispering into her ear, "That was so beautiful, Rachel,"

"Do you get it now? I honestly can't go back to New York without you, Finn, I can't do it," Rachel murmured, easing back and pressing her forehead to his.

"I get it. We'll talk about that later, okay?" He said with a smile, and she nodded, stretching up to kiss him.

Finn let Rachel go as Kurt announced, "And now, it's time for the fathers/daughter dance! Rachel, Mr. and Mr. Berry, if you would make your way to the dance floor please!"

As Rachel, LeRoy and Hiram walked onto the dance floor, Mr. Schue took the microphone.

"_Look at the two of you dancing that way_

_Lost in the moment_

_And each other's face_

_So much in love you're alone in this place_

_Like there's nobody else in the world_

_I was enough for her not long ago_

_I was her number one_

_She told me so_

_And she still means the world to me_

_Just so you know_

_So be careful when you hold my girl_

_Time changes everything_

_Life must go on_

_And I'm not gonna stand in your way_

_But I loved her first_

_I held her first_

_And a place in my heart_

_Will always be hers_

_From the first breath she breathed_

_When she first smiled at me_

_I knew the love of a father runs deep_

_And I prayed that she'd find you someday_

_But it's still hard to give her away_

_I loved her first_

_I knew the first time I saw you with her_

_It was only a matter of time_

_From the first breath she breathed_

_When she first smiled at me_

_I knew the love of a father runs deep_

_Someday you might know what I'm going through_

_When a miracle smiles up at you_

_I loved her first"_

As the music slowly stopped, Rachel's dads kissed her on the cheeks and then they clapped for Mr. Schue. He came off the stage, shook LeRoy and Hiram's hands and then gave Rachel a hug and a kiss on her forehead.

"All right, now we have one more slow song before we get this party started," Kurt said, taking the microphone in hand. "And no, it's not from me, but this is a free-for-all slow dance, so I want to see all of you out here on this dance floor! Including you, Sue Sylvester!" Kurt called, pointing at the cheerleading coach.

Finn got on stage and took the microphone, saying, "This song is dedicated to my wife, Rachel Hudson," He smiled at her as the music started.

True to his word, Kurt hurried over to Sue and all but forced her on the dance floor. Rachel was watching Finn on stage when a tap came on her shoulder and she turned to see Puck standing there. "Uh, may I have this dance?" Puck asked awkwardly, and Rachel beamed at him, taking his hand.

"Of course you may,"

He pulled her into his arms and they started dancing as Finn sang,

"_Not sure if you know this_

_But when we first met_

_I got so nervous_

_I couldn't speak_

_In that very moment_

_I found the one and_

_My life had found its_

_Missing piece_

_So as long as I live I'll love you_

_Will have and hold you_

_You look so beautiful in white_

_And from now 'til my very last breath_

_This day I'll cherish_

_You look so beautiful in white_

_Tonight_

_What we have is timeless_

_My love is endless_

_And with this ring I_

_Say to the world_

_You're my every reason_

_You're all that I believe in_

_With all my heart I_

_Mean every word_

_So as long as I live I'll love you_

_Will have and hold you_

_You look so beautiful in white_

_And from now 'til my very last breath_

_This day I'll cherish_

_You look so beautiful in white_

_Tonight_

_You look so beautiful in white_

_Tonight"_

Puck let Rachel go with a kiss to the cheek and she met Finn with tears in her eyes as she kissed him over and over, saying quietly, "That was so…so perfect, Finn, I love you so much,"

"I love you too," He said with a smile, and then Kurt grabbed the microphone, saying,

"And now this party is really gonna get started. Mr. William Schuester everybody!" They all started clapping as Mr. Schue got on stage…and started to rap.

**Well I hope you enjoyed all those lovely wedding songs, and just to recap Blaine's song was "Amazed" by Lonestar, Rachel's song was "The Woman In Me" by Shania Twain, Mr. Schue's song was "I Loved Her First" by Heartland, and Finn's song was "Beautiful In White" by Shane Filan. I know, lots of songs, but they were all necessary, I promise! The next chapter will have more partying, but also a character reappears from earlier in the story…and it kinda ruins the happy occasion. And I'll just bet you can't guess who it'll be! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you're enjoying this story so far!**


	24. Hello Again

**Chapter 24 is up! So I'm assuming that the fluff has been all but choking you in the past few chapters, and I'm also assuming that you're okay with that. And so the fluff shall continue for a while, but then that stops, and something bad goes down. Remember Sebastian? Well, let's just say he's a very patient, very conniving, very sneaky and very smart son of a bitch.**

**Enjoy!**

Pretty soon it came time for the newlyweds to cut the cake together. It was a relatively small cake, but Finn and Rachel grasped the knife in both of their hands and somehow managed to cut the first slice of cake, though it did take them a few tries.

After the cake had been passed around, Kurt grabbed Rachel's hands and announced, "It's time to throw the bouquet! All unmarried girls, go get your butts over in that corner!"

Everyone laughed as all other girls in the room besides Emma and Carole and Sue went into the corner, even though Kurt tried to push Sue in there, insisting that she wasn't married and she should be with them.

Rachel turned her back with a grin and tossed the bouquet back, and heard a squeal. She whipped around to see Quinn holding the flowers, and Rachel beamed at her as she gave her a hug. Then Rachel felt her arm being tugged on, and she soon found herself plopped down in a chair in the middle of the dance floor.

"Kurt…what are you doing?" Rachel hissed, and Kurt smiled at her before announcing,

"Finn! Time to pull the garter off your wife's leg!"

"Kurt!" Rachel fairly shrieked, grabbing his arm. "I thought I told you no!"

"Since when have I ever listened to you about your wedding planning?" Kurt said dismissively as Finn ambled over, looking confused.

"What?"

"Remember? You have to pull Rachel's garter off of her leg with your teeth,"

"Do what?" Finn was thunderstruck, and Rachel blushed furiously as she buried her face in her hands. Kurt forced Finn onto the ground as everyone burst out laughing.

Finn tentatively lifted Rachel's skirt as high as he dared, and then he ducked his head under and quickly yanked the flimsy piece of fabric down her leg and over her foot. He held his triumphantly in his hand and pulled Rachel to his feet, both of their faces bright red.

"Have I mentioned how much I hate you?" Rachel mumbled to Kurt as Finn got ready to throw the garter like Rachel did with the bouquet.

"I love you too," Kurt said sweetly before clapping as Puck caught the garter.

"That means you two are the next to get married!" Mike said with a snicker, and Puck aimed a glare at him.

"Well, this is nice," Kurt happily said, patting Rachel's hand.

"Yes it is, thank you Kurt," Rachel said, resting her head on his shoulder. He rested his head on top of hers and replied,

"Anytime, diva. Speaking of diva, have you and Finn talked about New York?"

"Not yet, but we will," She promised, and he nodded.

As the evening was winding down, all the guys got on stage to sing 'Red Solo Cup' and as requested by Finn, Burt went out and brought all of them red Solo cups to drink during the song. Rachel excused herself to the bathroom to retouch her makeup and as she uncapped her mascara, a very terrifyingly familiar voice said,

"Hello, Rachel. Long time no see,"

Rachel spun around, dropping the mascara and was about the scream when she saw the barrel of the gun aiming at her. "Sebastian," She breathed, and he stepped out of the shadows.

"Yep. Missed me?"

"Not particularly," Rachel said warily, her eyes flickering between the gun and Sebastian's unshaven face. "Aren't you supposed to be in prison?"

"Maybe. It's surprisingly easy for a young, victimized teenager to get out of jail," Sebastian gloated, his grip snug on his gun.

"That's a clear flaw in our justice system," Rachel muttered, and Sebastian chuckled.

"Well, Rachel, you've certainly come a long way. Last time I saw you, you were on stage at Nationals, which I heard you won, congrats,"

"Thank...you…" Rachel replied guardedly, and Sebastian smiled at her.

"I'll make sure I succeed this time, there's no faking your death this time Rachel,"

"Why do you want me dead so badly, Sebastian? I never did anything to you!" She burst out, and Sebastian tightened his grip on the gun.

"You must've heard about the others I killed? Well, let's just say that when I'm like a dog with a bone when I've got someone who must die that isn't actually dead. Some of the psychologists call it me being a sociopath, a psychopath, whatever words they use," He said, rolling his eyes.

"And what do you call it?"

"I call it being myself. Maybe I'm killing you for a bigger purpose, for the greater good, you know?"

"No, I don't know. If you kill me, think of how much trouble you'll be in. How many people you will hurt,"

"Everything happens for a reason," He reminded her, and she shook her head.

"This isn't just happening, Sebastian, it's your choice. Maybe it is fate, but still, here and now, it's your choice."

Sebastian and Rachel stared at each other for a long moment, each of them waiting for the other to make a move, and then a knock came at the bathroom door and they both jumped, their heads turning to look at the door.

"Rachel? You okay in there? Kurt asked me to see if you were okay, he had to go get Blaine off the stage, he keeps singing Katy Perry songs," Mr. Schue's voice said, and Sebastian's eyes hardened as he raised the gun, turning it on the door to the girls' bathroom.

"NO!" Rachel shrieked, leaping on Sebastian and grabbing onto the gun, yanking it upwards as a shot rang out.

"Rachel!" Mr. Schue bellowed, beating on the locked door.

Sebastian and Rachel struggled with the gun and it went off a second time, and Rachel yelped in pain but didn't let go of the gun, knowing that if she did, her life was over. She kept fighting and so did Sebastian with blood all around them and shots kept going off.

Mr. Schue finally managed to break the door down as the last shot rang out, and he was absolutely horrified by what he saw. "Call 911!" He roared, and he dropped to his knees next to the two prone teens lying on the ground.

Rachel was lying on top of Sebastian, and Mr. Schue carefully pulled her off and saw the red blood staining her beautiful white dress, with bullet holes in her shoulder, stomach and chest area. "The ambulance is on its way," Kurt said from behind him in a strangled voice, and Mr. Schue whipped around to see both Kurt and Blaine standing there.

"Keep Finn and Mr. and Mr. Berry out of here, they don't need to see this," Mr. Schue instructed, and Kurt nodded, saying,

"Everyone else is holding them back,"

He stepped back, unable to stand seeing his best friend lying on the ground, probably dying. Blaine took a step forward, almost begging for something to do to help save his best friend.

"Is she…is there anything we can do?"

"Pray, Blaine. She's alive…but barely," Mr. Schue said, taking his jacket off and trying to stop the bleeding. Blaine kneeled next to him and helped, taking his own jacket off.

"Rachel? Rachel, stay with me," Blaine whispered in her ear as the paramedics ran into the room and quickly shoved Blaine and Mr. Schue out of the way. They watched in terror as the medics rushed to stabilize her, and then loaded her onto the stretcher and rushed her out to the waiting ambulance.

Finn leapt in beside her, his face drained of all color and his entire body shaking. Mr. and Mr. Berry climbed in next to him, and the ambulance took off as the cops started to arrive.

"What happened?" Blaine asked Mr. Schue in complete shock, and Mr. Schue cleared his throat.

"I went to check on Rachel, she'd been gone a long time and Kurt asked me to. I knocked on the door, and then I heard Rachel shriek 'no' and then a shot rang out. I eventually kicked the door after several more shots and saw Rachel lying on top of Sebastian, both of them nonmoving."

"What about Sebastian?" Kurt asked in a tight voice, and Mr. Schue replied,

"He's dead. He won't touch Rachel ever again,"

"I'm glad," Blaine said suddenly, and everyone looked at him. "You may think it's terrible that I'm glad another human being is dead, but he didn't deserve to live. After he killed Rachel, he would've come in here and killed us all, and we all know that. Rachel saved all of our lives,"

"He's right," Mercedes said quietly, and Sam wrapped his arms around her.

"She'll be okay," He said soothingly, and Tina slipped her arms around Mike's waist, saying,

"Of course she'll be okay, she's Rachel freakin' Berry! She's survived so much the past few years, she's even come back from the dead,"

Everyone managed to crack a smile, even Kurt, and then the police officers started to take their statements for the police report. Until analysis could be done on the bathroom, gun and both Sebastian and Rachel's injuries, they couldn't say for certain but they believed Sebastian had been killed in the fight over the gun.

"Can we go to the hospital?" Mike asked the officer after she was done taking his statement.

"Yes, you can all go," She said, nodding her head.

As they were giving their statements, both Blaine and Mr. Schue realized they were covered in blood. Both Rachel's blood and Sebastian's blood. They had to go change and give their clothes to the police as evidence, but neither of them said much after that.

No one said much of anything on the ride to the hospital, they were all immersed in praying for Rachel to live.

**Yeah, I think it's safe to say that the fluff is definitely gone. For now, at least. I suppose instead of 'third time's the charm' for Sebastian it's 'three strikes you're out'. How many of you actually thought he'd be back after that second time? It's fanfiction, of course he was going to come back! Haha anyway thank you so so so much for reading and I hope you like this story so far!**


	25. I'm Sorry

**Chapter 25 is up! I can't believe I've written twenty-five chapters for this story, at first it was just going to be a one-shot Rachel dies, and then it turned into she's faking her death, and then it turned into everything else! And now you lovely readers get to find out whether Rachel's going to survive or not…**

**Enjoy!**

When they got to the hospital, Puck took the lead and stepped up to the front desk, asking, "Rachel Berry?"

The woman tapped a few keys on the keyboard and replied, "She's still in surgery, but you can wait in the waiting room, it's up the elevator on the third floor,"

"Thank you," Puck replied, and immediately the entire group headed to the elevator and rode it up to the third floor.

Once up there, they saw Finn pacing, his hand over his mouth, and Rachel's dads holding each other's hand tightly and their heads were bent in prayer.

"Finn," Kurt said gently, touching his step-brother's shoulder. "Any news?"

"No, nothing, I don't know anything," Finn burst out, and Kurt wrapped his arms around his brother, holding him tightly while he cried and fought back tears of his own.

Santana wrapped her arms around Brittany as the blonde asked, "Where's Rachel?"

"She's in surgery, Britt,"

"Is she gonna live?"

"I hope so. I really hope so," Santana muttered, and Brittany hugged her tightly.

Mike sat in one of the chairs and Tina sat on his lap as he wrapped his arms around her, and Sugar was sitting on Artie's lap. Emma went to each student, trying to help them any way she could, and Mr. Schue stood next to Finn, his hand on the young man's shoulder. Mercedes sat in a chair, her head in her hands, and Sam sat next to her, his arm around her. Puck and Quinn were sitting on the ground, hand in hand, and Kurt and Blaine stood off in the corner, talking in a low murmur.

"I can't stand this, Blaine, I can't stand this waiting. When my dad had that heart attack, I nearly died waiting for the doctor to come out. I can't do this again," Kurt whispered, and Blaine squeezed his hands.

"You'll be okay, and so will Rachel,"

"But what if that bastard succeeded this time? Rachel's strong and stubborn, but Sebastian was even worse," Kurt worried, and Blaine shook his head sharply, cutting Kurt off.

"Stop it. I mean it, Kurt, stop it. Start thinking positive, okay? I know it's hard, and I know you're worried, but keep thinking about you two going back to New York, and completely setting NYADA on its ear, all right?"

"All right," Kurt murmured, slipping his arms around Blaine's shoulders and kissing him softly before pulling him close.

It seemed like hours had passed before Emma announced that she was going to the vending machines to get something to drink, and wanted to know if anyone else wanted something. Mr. Schue told her to get sodas for all the kids, and when she walked off Kurt started humming something.

"What song is that?" Mr. Schue asked suddenly, and Kurt looked strangely at him, saying,

"Stay With Me by Danity Kane, why?"

"When Rachel was in surgery before, we sang for her. Why don't we try it again?"

"But she 'died' last time," Finn said dully, and Kurt shook his head, saying,

"She still lived. It's worth a shot, Finn,"

"Go on Kurt," Mr. Schue encouraged, and Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand before singing,

"_Raindrops fall from everywhere,"_

Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand back as he sang, _"I reach out for you but you're not there,"_

Tina opened her mouth and sang, _"So I stood waiting in the dark,"_

Mike rested his head on Tina's shoulder, singing, _"With your picture in my hand,"_

Puck took the next part, singing, _"Story of a broken heart,"_

Quinn sang the first part of the chorus, singing,

"_Stay with me_

_Don't let me go_

'_Cause I can't be without you"_

Brittany smiled sadly at Santana as she sang,

"_Stay with me_

_And hold me close_

_Because I built my world around you"_

Santana squeezed her girlfriend's hand as she sang,

"_And I don't wanna know what it's like without you_

_So stay with me_

_Just stay with me"_

Sugar took the next line, singing _"I've searched my heart over so many many times"_

Artie slipped his arms around Sugar's waist as he sang, _"No you and I is like no stars that light the sky at night"_

Sam was next, opening his mouth and singing, _"Our picture hangs up to remind me of the days"_

Mercedes took the following line as she sang, _"You promised me we'd always be and never go away"_

Rachel's dads surprisingly jumped in singing, _"That's why I need you to stay"_

Quinn, Santana, Brittany, Sugar, Tina and Mercedes sang,

"_Stay with me_

_Don't let me go_

'_Cause I can't be without you"_

Puck, Blaine, Kurt, Artie, Mike and Sam sang,

"_Stay with me_

_And hold me close_

_Because I built my world around you"_

Mr. Schue glanced at Finn and saw that he wasn't singing, so he took the last part of the chorus, singing,

"_And I don't wanna know what it's like without you_

_So stay with me_

_Just stay with me"_

Finally Finn opened his mouth and sang brokenly, _"So I stand waiting in the dark"_

As they finished the song, the doctor walked into the waiting room and glanced at his chart, saying, "Family of Rachel Berry?"

"Yes, we're her dads," LeRoy said immediately, standing up. The doctor looked skeptically at all the teenagers surrounding him, and Hiram said impatiently,

"They're family too, just tell us how our daughter is, please,"

"All right. Miss Berry…"

"Mrs. Hudson," Finn corrected quietly, and the doctor glanced at him.

"Yes, sorry, I see that here on her chart. Mrs. Hudson was very severely injured, and we lost her a few times on the table. Miraculously she pulled through, and she's in the ICU and she's very much alive, but she is in a coma."

"But she's alive," Hiram clung to that important bit of information, and the doctor nodded.

"Yes, she is alive,"

"Can we see her?" LeRoy asked, and the doctor nodded, leading them to Rachel's room. Everyone else in the waiting room sighed collectively in relief as Emma came back in with the sodas and the Glee club swarmed her.

"She's alive, but she's in a coma," Mr. Schue told Emma, and she nodded as she handed him his coffee. A while later, Rachel's dads came out and immediately Finn leapt to his feet. They told him what room she was in.

He hurried through the door and immediately stopped in his tracks. The sight of his Rachel lying under tubes and surrounded by machines scared him badly. He carefully walked over to her and gently touched her cheek, his hand trembling.

"Oh Rachel," He whispered, pulling a chair up and sitting by her bedside, bowing his head as tears flowed freely from his eyes.

"_I know I wasn't there_

_When you needed me the most_

_I know I didn't care_

_And was afraid to get so close_

_Tonight it's getting hard to fall asleep_

'_Cause it's becoming clear that I broke all into pieces_

_And I cannot reverse it_

_So I've got one more thing to say_

_I'm sorry for your pain_

_I'm sorry for your tears_

_For all the little things I didn't know_

_I'm sorry for the words I didn't say_

_But what I still do_

_I'm still loving you_

_I know I let you wait_

_I've been away for far too long_

_But now I can relate_

_To everything that I did wrong_

_I stop breathing when I think I'm losing you_

_There'll be no excuse so I am on my knees_

_So listen please_

_Let me hold your hand once again_

_Oh I'm sorry for your pain_

_And I'm sorry for your tears_

_For all the little things I didn't know_

_I'm sorry for the words I didn't say_

_I'm sorry for the lies_

_And I'm sorry for the fights_

_For not showing my love a dozen times_

_I'm sorry for the things that I call mine_

_But what I still do_

_I'm still loving you_

_Oh yeah_

_That's what I'll always do"_

Finn took Rachel's hand and pressed his lips to it, murmuring, "Please, Rachel, please don't leave me, I need you too much, please,"

With that he couldn't stand it anymore and he strode from the room, hearing raised voices coming from the living room.

"What the hell kind of FBI agents are you?!" Blaine was yelling, and Finn stepped in the room to see Puck, Sam and Mike holding him back from hitting the two adults that stood in the room, though they all looked like they wanted to punch them too.

"He got to her three times, granted the first time was out of your control but what about the second and third times?" Kurt demanded, and Mr. Schue and Emma were trying to calm them down.

"My wife could die. That's right, my _wife_. And that's on you, so I hope you can live with yourselves, because I'm not sure I can if she doesn't survive," Finn said quietly, and then turned and walked off towards the elevator without a backward glance.

"Blaine, go after him," Kurt implored, worried about Finn but also worried that Blaine would try to attack the FBI agents. Blaine cast a furious look towards the FBI agents before nodding and jogging in the direction Finn had strode off in.

**Yes, New Directions is very upset with the FBI agents that supposedly had Sebastian in jail, but all Finn wants is for Rachel to wake up. Blaine and Finn are going to have a talk in the next chapter, while the rest of the group in the waiting room gives the FBI agents hell. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you like this story so far!**

**PS: The first song was "Stay With Me" by Danity Kane, and the second one was "I'm Sorry" by Tommy Reeve.**


	26. Tension And Blame

**Chapter 26 has been posted! And now Blaine goes after Finn and they have a real heart-to-heart about New York and the future of Finn and Rachel and what's going on with that. And while that's going on, the rest of the Glee kids (and adults) will be demanding explanations and yelling at the FBI agents. **

**Enjoy!**

While Blaine ran after Finn, Rachel's dads just slipped back in to be with their daughter. Each of them took one of her hands and they were both silent for a long moment, heads bowed in prayer for their baby girl.

Hiram took a deep breath and expelled it in a rush, murmuring, "I'm so sorry, Rachel,"

"I'm the one who should be sorry, Rachel, I was behind all of this, your father kept trying to reign me in, to get me to back off a little, but I just wouldn't budge. Maybe if I hadn't, you wouldn't be lying in this hospital, fighting for your life," LeRoy said in a rush, tears coming to his eyes.

"No, it's both of our faults. I could've fought against you harder, but in truth I thought we were doing what was best for you, Rachel, and it turns out we were just keeping you away from finding your path in life," Hiram said firmly, reaching across his daughter's comatose body to grip his husband's free hand.

"We love you so much, baby, you just have to come back to us, please," LeRoy whispered, and Hiram squeezed his hand and then opened his mouth and sang,

"_If you leap awake in the mirror of a bad dream,_

_And for a fraction of a second you can't remember where you are_

_Just open your window and follow your memory upstream_

_To the meadow in the mountain where we counted every falling star"_

LeRoy half-smiled as he recognized the song they used to sing to Rachel to get her to fall asleep when she was younger, and he sang the next few lines in a quivering voice,

"_I believe the light that shines on you_

_Will shine on you forever_

_And though I can't guarantee there's nothing scary hiding under your bed_

_I'm gonna stand guard like a postcard of a golden retriever_

_And never leave until I leave you with a sweet dream in your head"_

Both of them looked at Rachel as their voices came together and they sang the chorus together,

"_I'm gonna watch you shine, gonna watch you grow_

_Gonna paint a sign so you'll always know_

_As long as one and one is two_

_There could never be a father who loves his daughter more than I love you"_

As Rachel's dads were singing to her, the rest of New Directions were arguing with the FBI agents, all of the kids yelling at them about something with Will, Emma and Sue trying to calm them down, though they wanted to yell at them as well.

Finally Sue pulled her whistle out and blew it long and hard until everyone stopped talking. "Shut up all of you!" She bellowed, and when it was quiet she pointed her finger at the two FBI agents. "Speak. Explain." Sue demanded, her eyes narrowing at them.

Agent Morgan raised his hands up in surrender and began to explain. Sebastian had been locked up in jail and was awaiting his trial; he had been remanded after he tried to attack Rachel again at Nationals. Turns out that time he had posted bail and was ordered to stay away from Rachel, but instead he tried to kill her again. It was a good thing that the FBI agents had come to see Rachel perform, so they got on stage quick and nabbed him, although the Glee kids pretty much had him subdued.

Then while he was in jail, he kept obsessing over Rachel, muttering her name in his sleep and everything. Finally one of his jail mates reported it, and they were just going to overlook it when they saw in his file that he was a psychopath, and they went to his cell to check on him and place him in solitary confinement to ensure he didn't escape.

Clearly, they were too late.

"So they alerted us immediately and we alerted the local police this morning. He escaped three days ago, and he was probably waiting for Rachel to return to Lima for the holiday break. And he saw his perfect opportunity at her wedding," Agent Hotchner finished, and everyone was silent for a long moment.

"I don't care if it's supposedly not your fault, if my best friend dies, I will blame you," Kurt muttered harshly and then sat down, pulling out his phone to call Burt and Carole. When they had found out Rachel was in a coma, they left to go home and make sandwiches and snacks for the kids, since they obviously wouldn't be leaving the hospital for a while longer.

And then Kurt began to think about the situation. He'd have to call NYADA and tell them what happened, since neither of them would be returning for the beginning of the term. He knew that his parents would try to convince him to return, but Rachel wouldn't leave if the roles were reversed, that much he knew, and he also knew that he'd do the same for her.

"Oh, her poor wedding dress," Kurt sighed to himself, but unfortunately a frazzled Santana heard it.

"Are you kidding me? Berry is lying in one of those hospital beds, possibly dying, and all you can worry about is her damn dress?" She yelled, getting in Kurt's face.

"It was just a stupid comment, Santana, trust me I'm just as worried as you are," Kurt snapped back, and Mr. Schue stepped in between them.

"We're all worried about Rachel, guys, just relax," He said quietly, and Santana stormed off to where Brittany was standing.

While tensions were rising in the waiting room, Blaine had caught up with Finn just outside the hospital and they both leaned against the building, looking up at the sun coming up over the horizon. "We've been here all night," Blaine said quietly, and Finn nodded slowly. "She'll be all right, Finn, she's a fighter, we all know that,"

"Everyone has their breaking point! And after two attacks already? I'm so scared she's reached her breaking point, and I wouldn't blame her at all, but I just can't lose her, I just can't," Finn whispered, sliding down until he was sitting on the ground, his head in his hands.

"You won't have to," Blaine assured him, forcing away any of the doubts that were nagging inside his head. He had seen Rachel in the bathroom, bullet holes in her chest and blood everywhere, and the rational part of his brain told him that there was no way Rachel could survive that.

"Why her, Blaine? What did she ever do to deserve this crap?" Finn murmured, looking up at Blaine. With a sigh Blaine sat down next to him and shrugged.

"I honestly don't know, Finn. I know some people say that everything happens for a reason, but I can't think of a single reason why this would happen to Rachel. Not a one."

"Me either," Finn mumbled, staring at the stars in the sky and remembering that one of them up there had his name. Tears came to his eyes as he thought of another star fighting for her life.

The two boys sat there in silence for a long time, and then the hospital doors slid open and Mr. Schue came walking out, wiping his eyes. "Mr. Schue?" Finn said instantly, leaping to his feet.

"Oh, I didn't know you were out here, Finn, there hasn't been a change in Rachel's condition," He said immediately, and Finn nodded as he leaned back against the building.

"What's wrong Mr. Schue?" Blaine asked quietly, and Mr. Schue just shook his head.

"It's just hard feeling helpless," Mr. Schue replied eventually, and Blaine nodded.

"Have the FBI agents left yet?"

"No, they're still in the waiting room, which means the tension in there is so thick you could cut it with a knife,"

"Why haven't they left?"

"They keep saying that they care about her too," Mr. Schue muttered, and Blaine spat angrily,

"Bull. If they cared about her, she wouldn't be fighting for her life right now,"

"Emma's trying to convince the others to go home and get some sleep," Mr. Schue sighed as he sat down next to Blaine, and Finn said dully,

"And they're refusing,"

"Pretty much. I just needed some fresh air," Mr. Schue said quietly, and the two boys nodded. Silence fell over the trio standing outside for a while, until Blaine glanced up at Finn and questioned,

"Did you and Rachel ever get a chance to talk about New York?"

"No, we didn't," Finn said hoarsely, and Blaine nodded sympathetically.

"Have you thought about what you're going to do?" Mr. Schue questioned, and Finn didn't even hesitate.

"I belong with Rachel, there's no question about that. I'm going to go with her to New York, and try to get into a college there,"

"So no more Army?" Blaine questioned, and Finn shook his head.

"Rachel needs me," He said simply, and a light bulb went off in his head. Without a word to Mr. Schue and Blaine he stood up straight and turn, disappearing into the building. He strode to the elevator and took it to Rachel's floor, headed straight for her room.

**And now we have reached the end of chapter 26. The next chapter will include Finn talking to Rachel in her coma, and after he talks to her the rest of the Glee kids are going to come in and talk to her, all of them trying to get her to wake up. Will it be enough? Or will it fall short of getting Rachel to come out of her coma? You'll find out! Thanks so much for sticking with this story and I hope you like it so far!**


	27. Don't Let Go

**Chapter 27 is up! And now we have the moment of truth: what was Finn's big epiphany? And will it help Rachel wake up from her coma? Probably not, since the rest of the Glee kids need to go in and talk to her as well. Then we'll see if she wakes up or not.**

**And I'm so sorry it took so long to upload this chapter, but I would finish it, and then my computer would randomly shut off and delete all my work. That happened like three times, so needless to say it took forever to finally get this chapter finished. Thank you for all your patience!**

**Enjoy!**

Finn hurried into Rachel's room, finding no opposition from her dads, the rest of the Glee club or Rachel's doctors. He stood in the doorway for a fraction of a second, forcing himself not to think about how deathly pale she looked, or how sickly frail she looked, or how many machines were hooked to her, or about how those machines were the only things keeping her alive.

He forced himself to not think about all those things and he sat down on her bed, reaching down for her left hand, rubbing his thumb over her wedding ring.

"Rachel, I know we haven't talked about New York at all, not like we've had time, but I'd like to talk about it now," Finn said quietly, and squeezed Rachel's hand. "I know I was planning on going into the Army, to redeem my father and everything, but the only place I want to be is with you. And that means NYADA, so if you're okay with it I want to go to New York with you and Kurt. I know you've got that apartment on campus, but I don't think they'll mind if I sleep on the couch," Finn said in a rush, and then thought about what he had just said.

"Actually, there's nothing against us sleeping in the same bed, considering we're married now and they can't technically stop us, but…" He stopped, realizing that he was rambling. "Basically, Rachel, I want to be with you. That's all I want. That's what my vows were meant for," Finn whispered, reaching out and brushing his hand across her face.

"Please wake up, Rachel, please," He murmured, bowing his head.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door and Finn hastily wiped his eyes before saying, "Come in," The door opened to reveal Blaine standing there with his family.

"I'm sorry, Finn, my sister ran over to the door before I could catch her," He apologized, and Finn shook his head.

"No, it's okay, I can't be selfish with Rachel," He stood up, glancing back at his wife. "You guys go on, I'm going to go get something from the vending machines,"

Finn slipped out of the room and forced himself to think as positively as he could as he wandered down the hallway.

Meanwhile, Annabelle crawled onto Rachel's bed and snuggled next to the seemingly only sleeping girl. Blaine's mom covered her mouth with her hand seeing Rachel lying on the hospital bed, and Blaine's dad wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "She'll be okay," He muttered, and Blaine swallowed hard.

"She has to be," Blaine said convincingly, sitting by Rachel's side and holding her hand tightly. Annabelle began chattering to Rachel's unconscious figure, until Blaine's mom caught the look in his son's eyes.

"Anna, sweetie, let's go get something to eat from the cafeteria, okay? You haven't eaten in a while,"

"But Momma," She protested, but then her mom just looked at her. "Okay," She acquiesced, and Blaine's mom and dad took Annabelle out of the room, shutting the door behind them. Blaine's mom knew he needed some time alone with his best friend, and he was grateful she didn't make an issue out of it.

"Oh God, Rachel," Blaine murmured, sitting on the edge of the bed and gently touching her cheek. "You look like hell," He breathed, and could almost imagine Rachel's giving him that look and saying,

'I just got shot in the chest, you idiot, did you think I was going to look like I'm on my way to prom?'

He couldn't help it as a slight smile crossed his features. "I miss you, Rachel, so much," Blaine sighed as he bowed his head, trying as Finn was to force himself to think positively.

"Rach, I…I don't know if you can hear me, but I hope you can. You're one of the strongest people I've ever known, so I know you can pull through this. And I know I won't be the only one saying this to you, but Rach…I'm begging you, please don't let go," His voice broke at the end and a few tears slipped down his cheeks.

A hand gently caressed his shoulder and he glanced up to see Kurt standing there, a tear sliding down his cheek too. Blaine stood up and Kurt wrapped him in a tight hug. "She won't let go, because neither will we," Kurt whispered, staring at his best friend with all the tubes and wires and machines hooked up to her tiny, fragile little body.

"Do you need some time alone with her? I'll go get us some food from the cafeteria," Blaine offered, knowing that they had been there for a while.

"Yeah, could you?"

"Of course," Blaine said quietly, pressing his lips to Kurt's forehead for a long moment, and then kissing him on the lips before walking out and silently shutting the door behind him. He took a moment to dry his tears and then headed down to the cafeteria.

Kurt took Blaine's place, only he grabbed both of Rachel's hands. "Alright, you listen to me, diva. Everyone else has been all weepy and begging you to stay, but I decided long ago that I am different, as you well know. So, missy, you had best be waking up soon, because you've scared us all enough to last for several lifetimes. You know that Broadway wouldn't be the same without you up on that stage, and neither will NYADA. You're going to change the world, Rachel, I can feel it, but you can't do that unless you open those pretty little eyes of yours okay? C'mon, you can do it," Kurt felt like he was coaching her as he squeezed her hands and prayed to whatever being that was up there that Rachel so firmly believed in.

When Rachel's eyes remained firmly shut and her chest kept shallowly going up and down, Kurt felt his tough exterior that he had put up moments ago shatter and he broke down, leaning against Rachel's shoulder. "Don't leave me, Rachel, please," Kurt sobbed, and then he forced himself to pull his emotions together. He knew that Puckerman was waiting for him to walk out, so he carefully fixed his hair and clothing, and then he kissed Rachel's cheek before walking out.

"You good, Kurt?" Puck asked, as he was standing down the hallway. Kurt just nodded and Puck, without hesitating, pulled him into a quick hug. "She's gonna be okay, right?" Puck asked quietly, and Kurt patted him on the back.

"She will, because she's Rachel Barbra Berry,"

"Good point," Puck said with a smile as he headed into the room, and that's when Kurt noticed that he had a guitar strapped to his back. With a smile of his own Kurt went to join his boyfriend in the cafeteria.

Puck stepped into the room and immediately his eyes latched onto Rachel's helpless-looking figure with all the machines. "Oh man, Rach," He murmured, the severity of the situation hitting him hard. Puck forced his tears back as he sat down on the chair, staring at Rachel and suddenly not knowing what to say.

"You know, I had this whole speech planned out for you, Rach, but right now, it all just seems totally unimportant and irrelevant," He said quietly, setting the guitar in playing position on his lap. "This was the first solo I ever sang in Glee club, back when we were sophomores. God, that seems like such a long time ago, doesn't it? Back when I was desperate to date you and you wouldn't date anyone that didn't have the guts to sing a solo. Well, I fixed that, didn't I?" Puck said with a smile and strung the first few chords to 'Sweet Caroline'.

"Where it began

I can't begin to knowin'

But then I know it's growing strong

Was in the spring

Then spring became summer

Who'd have believed you'd come along

Hands

Touching hands

Reaching out

Touching me

Touching you

Oh sweet Caroline

Good times never seem so good

I've been inclined

To believe they never would

Oh sweet Caroline

Good times never seem so good

I've been inclined

To believe they never could

Oh no, no, no"

When he strummed the last chord, he was shocked to find his face covered in tears. "Please, Rachel, don't let go, you can't leave me, you can't leave all of us, please," Puck begged, reaching out and gripping her hand like it was the only lifeline keeping him tied to reality.

**End of chapter 27! Now you've seen Finn's, Blaine's, Kurt's and Puck's pleas for Rachel to wake up, who do you think will be going next in the next chapter? All of them are going to get a moment in Rachel's room, some by themselves and some with others, it's just a matter of deciding what order to put them in. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you're enjoying this story so far!**


	28. Imagine A World Without

**Chapter 28 has now been posted! I know, it's taken me forever to post this chapter, but it took me a long time to get these characters down when they're trying to get Rachel to wake up. Fair warning, Santana uses some bad language in this chapter! But if she didn't, she wouldn't be the sassy, bitchy Santana we all know and love.**

**Enjoy!**

Puck found himself unable to say anything after his song, he just held Rachel's hand as tight as he could until there was a knock at the door. He cleared his throat and hastily wiped his tears away, calling, "Come in,"

Quinn quietly slipped inside and knelt next to him, softly wiping his tears away. "It's okay, Noah," She whispered, and he shook his head, shoving the chair back and jerkily getting to his feet.

"No, it's freaking not okay, Quinn! Do you see Rachel? Do you see how close she is to dying? We could lose her, Quinn, just like we could've lost you when you were in that car accident. This is real, this is happening right now!"

"I know this is real, Noah, don't you think I know that one of my best friends could die at any moment?" Quinn yelled back at him, close to tears. Puck immediately felt bad, but before he could say anything Quinn kept going, saying, "But I choose to see the glass half-full. Rachel Berry is still breathing, still alive. I don't care how that's possible, but that is real too. I believe that at any minute she will open those eyes and smile at me. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, Quinn, I understand, and I'm sorry, I went off on you and you of all people didn't deserve it," Puck said quietly, running his hand through his hair.

"It's okay, we're all on edge," Quinn admitted, burying her face in her hands.

Puck walked up to her and framed her face with his hands. "You were right, just like you usually are. She's gonna be okay,"

"Yeah she will," Quinn said, wrapping her arms around Puck's waist and sighed. He held her tightly for a long moment, and then heard her stomach grumble.

"I'll go get you something from the cafeteria," He offered, and she smiled.

"Thanks,"

"Anything in particular?"

"Just a sandwich, please," She said quietly, and Puck softly kissed her forehead before walking out of the room. Quinn stood there, wrapping her arms around her body and she stared at Rachel's chest moving up and down, the only physical sign that she was still breathing.

"You can't leave me, Rachel, please, I need you, I need someone to be on the other end of that train ticket, please," Quinn begged in a whisper, crossing the room slowly and then gripping her arm. "Did you hear me? I need you," She stressed, desperate to fight off the fear that was threatening to overtake her.

She stood there with Rachel for a few more long moments and then she abruptly turned and strode out, letting the door shut as she strode down the hallway, barely able to see through the tears that were brimming in her eyes. She plowed into someone and they held onto her shoulders. "Let me go," She murmured, and Puck's voice said,

"Not this time, Quinn. I've done that far too often with you," She clung to his shirt and he carefully led her over to a seat, pulling her into his arms and burying his face in her hair.

When Quinn left the room, Sugar wheeled Artie down the hallway and Mike and Tina followed them. The four of them stepped into the room and instantly Sugar gasped and put her hands to her mouth, seeing Rachel in her terrible condition.

"I've never seen her look so…so…" Tina said in a wobbly voice, and Mike gripped her hand tightly, finishing her sentence for her in a quiet voice,

"Helpless,"

"Rachel, I'm so sorry," Sugar whimpered as she and Artie approached the side of the bed.

"If he wasn't already dead, Rachel, I'd kill. I could kill him for doing this to you, no lie. This just isn't right," Artie burst out, staring at Rachel's face.

"I know, man, but anger isn't gonna help Rachel wake up," Mike said, his hand squeezing Artie's shoulder. Artie nodded a few times before admitting,

"I know you're right, but I just, she is fighting like hell for her life right now, and what are we doing?"

"Praying. Wishing. Hoping." Tina said firmly, and she and Artie exchanged a look. They knew the kind of power that had, had witnessed it when Kurt's dad had had a heart attack.

"That's all we can do. Trust me, otherwise I'd be calling my daddy," Sugar said with a decisive nod, and that brought a smile to everyone's face in the room.

"We probably should let Santana and Brittany in here before visiting hours are over," Artie said quietly, and Sugar nodded. She bent down and gave Rachel a tight hug and Artie kissed Rachel's hand before allowing Sugar to wheel him into the hallway.

"Just…give me a minute, okay?" Tina requested, and Mike nodded as he kissed her cheek and squeezing Rachel's hand, murmuring,

"We're all here for you, Rachel. Never, ever doubt that," Then he walked out, quietly shutting the door to give his girlfriend some privacy with her friend.

"Rachel…I think in the back of my mind I imagined you making your triumphant debut on Broadway right about now, not lying in this hospital fighting for your life. It's just, it's not fair! Haven't you had enough wrong done to you already?" Tina bowed her head as a few tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Please, Rachel, I know everyone else has begged and pleaded for you to come back and open your eyes, and I'll gladly join their ranks. Just open your eyes, Rachel, that's all you have to do. We need you, without you Glee club isn't as special as it used to be. You once said that being a part of something makes you special, and I'm a firm believer in that. If you are to, then you have to open your eyes. Glee club is something special, and you help make it that special. You can't give up on us, Rachel, because we are most definitely not giving up on you, ever,"

Tina finished her speech to Rachel that she did not plan out at all, and then stood up. "Hang in there, Rachel. I want to at least sing one more duet with you, if not dozens more," She said quietly, and then quickly left the room.

"She'll be okay," Mike said soothingly as he wrapped her in his arms.

"I know. She's Rachel Barbra Berry, she has to be okay," Tina tried to convince herself, and Mike kept his arm around her shoulders as they walked down the hallway.

When they had left, Santana and Brittany walked down holding hands. "Is this her room?" Santana asked, pointing to the door.

"Yeah, I asked Blaine and he said this was it," Brittany said, but she didn't take a step forward to enter into the room.

"Britt? What's wrong?" Santana asked quietly, facing her girlfriend.

"I just, I know she's gonna look different, and I'm scared. As much as we picked on her, I really like her. She's really nice, especially to me,"

"I know, Britt, but that's why we're going in, to make sure that she doesn't leave us, you know?" Santana said gently, and Brittany bit her lip.

"I just, I'm afraid that when I walk in there, my brain is going to start imagining the world without Rachel Berry, and that's a scary world. I don't want to think about that world, Santana," She said in a scared voice, and Santana hugged her.

"Then don't. Rachel's gonna be okay, she's gonna wake up and start annoying us and we'll forget all the reasons why we like her, okay?"

"All right," Brittany allowed Santana to pull her into the room, and both girls stopped short at the sight of tiny Rachel in the big white bed, her face nearly the same color as the sheets, and all the machines and wires hooked to her body.

"It's okay, Britt," Santana said automatically, slowly walking towards the bed.

"Hey Rachel," Brittany said conversationally, perching on the edge of the bed and taking the unconscious girl's hand.

Suddenly, Santana felt herself shaking with rage, looking down at this girl that she was supposed to hate. Of course she didn't really hate her, but she definitely hated the guy that put her here. "This is the shitiest thing I have ever seen in my entire life, and that's saying a lot considering I come from Lima Heights Adjacent. Who the hell does that Sebastian think he is?! Does he think he can just go around and turn peoples' lives upside down? I'm with Puck on this one, if that bastard wasn't already dead I'd go jump him right here, right now," Santana steamed, pacing back and forth.

Brittany was just rubbing circles on Rachel's hand, listening to Santana and watching Rachel's heart monitor, making sure it didn't miss a beat.

"And why couldn't we have stopped him? He was in the damn bathroom, for God's sake! If we had just had a little more sense, we could've stopped him and Rachel would probably be off with her husband on their honeymoon. Look, Rachel, I know I pretend to hate you most of the time, and I'll admit that in McKinley, there were times when I hated you, made fun of you, and more. But standing there really puts things into perspective, and I realize that I need to apologize to you. We probably could have been good friends if I hadn't been such a bitch to you, and that is something I'll probably regret for the rest of my life," Santana admitted quietly, facing Rachel.

"Santana…" Brittany started to get up, but Santana shook her head.

"But something I'll regret even more is not getting to tell you all this when you're awake. You've gotta keep fighting, Rachel, because losing you means losing a lot more than you'd think. We can't lose anyone from the Glee club, because we're a family. And families stick together no matter what."

Santana quit talking, and Brittany stood up, wrapping her arms around her. They slowly walked out together and Brittany turned and waved, telling Rachel that they'd be back to see her soon.

"Was it that bad?" Santana asked Brittany as they walked hand-in-hand down the hallway.

"No. It still scared me to imagine a world without her, but it seemed less plausible sitting there and holding her hand,"

Santana smiled at her girlfriend and gave her a quick kiss as they rode down to the cafeteria to get some food.

**End of chapter 28! And now that most of the club has gone through visiting with Rachel, we've only got Sam, Mercedes and Mr. Schue left. The next chapter could end with a huge cliffhanger, it just depends if I get to that part or not. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you're enjoying this story so far!**


	29. Facts And Faults

**Chapter 29 has been posted! And now we have Mercedes and Sam left to talk to Rachel, and they've decided to come in separately. And to finish out the round of visitors, Mr. Schuester will go in and talk to her, trying to get her to wake up. That's when the big moment will happen…but what that big moment is, you'll have to find out! **

**Enjoy!**

Almost everyone was in the cafeteria at that time, except for Mr. Schuester, Sam and Mercedes. When Santana and Brittany told them that Rachel's room was open for visitors, Sam and Mercedes looked at each other.

"You guys go on, I'll be last," Mr. Schue said hollowly, taking a sip of his already-cold coffee. Sam and Mercedes rose to their feet and walked to Rachel's room, their hands linked together.

"Can I go first?" Mercedes asked in a small voice, and Sam nodded, squeezing her hand tightly before letting go.

Mercedes walked into the room and tears immediately came to her eyes as her hand flew to her mouth. "Rachel," She breathed, feeling fear creep into her mind at the sight of one of her best friends just lying there, utterly helpless.

"I'm sure everyone else has tried to coax you, goad you, force you, plead with you and beg you to wake up, and trust me when I tell you that I thought about doing all of those things, but I just can't. The fact is, you have to wake up, Rachel, because there's no danger anymore. That Sebastian jerk is gone, he's dead, and he can't ever come after you again, do you understand?" Mercedes said, sitting down and reaching for both of Rachel's hands.

"Not only that, but do you realize what you'll be robbing Broadway of if you give up and die? Do you realize how many Tony awards you'll be missing out on and letting some other Broadway actress take home? You are going to be the lead in a musical one day, and you're willing to give that up for whatever oblivion you think you'll find when you die? That is not the Rachel Barbra Berry I know and love," Mercedes huffed, though it was hard to keep up the tone in her voice without betraying the tears that were falling fast down her face.

"You just have to wake up, Rachel, there's no other way around it. You have far too much to live for," Mercedes said simply, and then got up and quickly left the room. Sam was standing outside the door and he squeezed Mercedes's hand before slipping into the room himself.

Sam stood in the doorway for a long moment, his hands in his pockets and looking almost anywhere but at Rachel. In his mind, he always wanted to remember her as the vibrant young woman who was so happy that he agreed to go with her and Mercedes to the junior prom.

At the same time, he convinced himself that there would be more good times with Rachel as soon as she woke up, and he finally turned his head.

Almost immediately he regretted his decision, simply because she looked so helpless, and he became angry at the fact that there was basically nothing that he could do to help her.

"God, Rach, you look like hell," Sam muttered, running his hand through his hair. He went and sat on the edge of Rachel's bed, staring at her seemingly sleeping face.

Suddenly he realized just what he had said, and he hastily added, "I didn't mean that in a bad way, it's just you look so pale and sick, you know, I didn't mean anything against your looks, you're really pretty," He finished lamely, and just shook his head. "Maybe I should stop digging myself into a deeper hole,"

With a sigh he pulled one of the flowers from the many arrangements around her bed that had been brought in since she had been admitted. Most of them came from her fathers, knowing how much she loves flowers. Sam began weaving it into her hair, and started to talk, saying, "I never really thanked you, Rachel. For basically getting me and Mercedes to go on our first date. Maybe it wasn't exactly your intention to set us up, but you definitely pushed me into making a move, and for that, thank you so much. She's special to me, maybe even as special as you are to Finn, and if she was in this hospital bed right now, I don't know what I would do,"

As Sam was confessing his feelings for Mercedes to Rachel, he didn't know that the woman he was confessing about had silently opened the door and was listening to every word.

"And yeah, I know that if you were awake you would basically smack me and tell me that you already know all this, and that I need to say what I just said to Mercedes, but I mean come on, Rachel, it was hard enough for me to admit that and you're not the girl I'm in love with and you're unconscious! How in the world am I supposed to be able to admit all that to Mercedes?"

"You already did," A voice said quietly from behind him, and Sam quickly hissed to Rachel,

"Even unconscious you're still calling all the shots,"

He slowly got up and turned around, almost afraid to look Mercedes in the face. "Sam…" She started to say, and instantly Sam jumped in, saying,

"Look if you don't feel the same or…as strong…then there's no pressure, don't worry about—" Sam didn't get to finish his sentence as Mercedes grabbed him and kissed him.

"Shut up, Sam," She whispered, and he kissed her back. "I love you too, and you're that special to me too,"

"Really?"

"Of course," She said with a chuckle, and Sam kissed her enthusiastically.

"Let's go get something to eat and let Mr. Schue in here," He suggested, and she nodded.

"All right. You best be awake by the time we get back, Rach," Mercedes threatened as she turned to go, and Sam quickly darted back and kissed Rachel's cheek.

"You're the best, Rach, which is why you gotta wake up soon, so I can thank you properly," He followed Mercedes out the door, and soon Mr. Schue was standing there, looking very much like a broken man.

"I am so…so very sorry, Rachel," Mr. Schue whispered, his hand covering his mouth as he slowly approached the bed. His eyes swept her tiny body and he could almost still see her in her wedding dress as he escorted her down the aisle.

"_No girl should walk down the aisle alone,"_

"_Thank you Mr. Schue," Rachel whispered, taking his arm. _

_Mr. Schue escorted her down the aisle and when they made it to Finn, Mr. Schue took her hand and placed it in Finn's, kissing her cheek. She reached out and kissed his cheek, smiling tearfully at him before placing both of her hands in Finn's._

He felt his knees give out and he collapsed in the chair, sobs wracking his frame. His hand gripped Rachel's as if it were a lifeline, the only thing tying him to his sanity, and he wept, "It's my fault, Rachel, this is all my fault. You were trying to stop him from shooting me, and for that, you're lying here, close to death yourself. Why, Rachel? You have so much to live for, so much of life ahead of you…you shouldn't have…you sacrificed yourself for me; I'm not worth that!" He bent his head down and pressed his forehead to her hand, sobbing.

"_NO!" Rachel shrieked…"Rachel!" Mr. Schue bellowed…Rachel yelped in pain…shots kept going off…BANG…BANG…BANG…_

The memories of those few moments ran as if on replay in his head until Mr. Schue couldn't take it any longer and he bolted to his feet, beginning to pace the floor.

"If only she'd yelled for help instead of fighting with him…if I had gotten that damn door down sooner…if I had noticed that bastard when he walked in…I walked _right by him_ and didn't even notice…what's wrong with me? What kind of person am I?!" He had his head in his hands by this point, and he quickly stepped to Rachel's bedside.

"Please, Rachel, wake up. I can't take this…your blood is on my hands and your death will be too…please...please…please…don't leave me…" He ended on barely a whisper, and he closed his eyes and prayed, begging God to bring the girl back to him, back to Finn and her fathers.

Suddenly, Rachel's heart began to beat faster and faster, and Mr. Schue jerked his head up, desperate to see Rachel's eyes open as he thought they would.

Instead, her heart suddenly stopped and the machines went wild. Everything was a blur as nurses and doctors rushed into the room and suddenly Mr. Schue found himself outside in the hallway. He heart the sharp tone that told him that Rachel was no longer in that room, that she was dead and gone.

It almost seemed like a dream as he walked down to the cafeteria where all the Glee kids were eating around a huge table that had been cobbled together by the workers. When he walked in, Finn immediately looked at him and stood up.

"Mr. Schue…what's happened?" He asked in fear, though he already knew what the broken man in front of him was going to say. He could almost read it in his face.

"She's gone," Mr. Schue whispered, and then the world went black.

**Well, I bet you weren't expecting that, now were you? I'm on break from school so I'm writing madly to try and end this story, so the next chapter will be up as soon as possible. Thank you so much for sticking with this story, even though this chapter may have required some tissues. I hope you like this story so far!**


	30. What Do You Mean By Fine?

**We have finally arrived at chapter 30! Now I know most of you (if not all of you) probably hate me for ending the last chapter the way I did, but trust me, you won't hate me by the end of this one!**

**Enjoy!**

Chaos reigned in the cafeteria.

Miss Pillsbury was racing to Mr. Schue's side even as he was slowly waking up, but Finn remained unconscious, and so did Kurt. Puck and Sam were at Finn's side, trying to get him to wake up, while Blaine was kneeling next to his boyfriend, shaking him.

Nurses instantly rushed in, and by this time Kurt was slowly beginning to wake up, but Finn was stubbornly unconscious. Puck and Sam lifted him onto the stretcher that one of the nurses brought, and he was rushed upstairs. He was still breathing, but the possibility of a concussion was threatening.

Mr. Schue and Kurt were also forced to go be checked out for a concussion, and they were reprimanded by the doctor for not eating anything since they had arrived at the hospital, and not sleeping either.

"You don't seem to understand, Doc, my best friend is fighting for her life!" Kurt yelled, and Mr. Schue put a restraining hand on his former student's arm.

"That's no excuse to kill yourself," The doctor said sternly, and then softened. "What's your friend's name, I'll go check on her condition for you,"

"Rachel Berry," Mr. Schue said hesitantly, afraid that the doctor would just come back and confirm what he already knew: that Rachel was gone.

The doctor left the room and Kurt instantly turned to his mentor and former teacher. "Please, Mr. Schue, are you positive? Are you absolutely sure that…you know…"

"I just heard her heart monitor go crazy, and then go flat," Mr. Schue said quietly, and Kurt buried his face in his hands.

"This is crazy, I hate not knowing, I hate it!" Kurt yelled, getting to his feet and pacing in the room. The door opened and both Mr. Schue and Kurt whipped their heads around to see who was coming in.

"Is there any news Blaine?" Mr. Schue asked desperately as Kurt immediately hugged his boyfriend. Blaine pulled Kurt close and pressed his lips to his forehead before answering,

"No, the doctors won't tell us anything. Finn is awake now, and it's taking Puck, Sam, Mike and Artie to keep him from leaving his room, they want to see if he's had a concussion. Puck, Sam and Mike are talking to him and holding him down, while Artie and the others are at the door, making sure he can't leave."

"Where're Mr. and Mr. Berry? Has anyone called them?" Kurt asked quietly, remembering that Rachel's dads had gone to find Shelby when the Glee club started going in to get Rachel to wake up.

"Not that I know of," Blaine said, and Kurt swallowed hard as he pulled his phone out with shaking hands.

"No, Kurt, this is my burden, I'll call them," Mr. Schue said, gently pulled the phone out of Kurt's hand.

"What do you mean 'your burden'?" Blaine asked, his brows furrowed as he kept his arms around Kurt.

"I mean…nothing, it was a slip of the tongue," Mr. Schue muttered, and hit the green button to dial Hiram Berry.

"Slip of the tongue my ass," Kurt mumbled, and Blaine had to agree as Mr. Schue stood up and walked over by the window while he waited to be connected to Mr. Berry.

"Kurt? Anything new?" The strained voice of Hiram Berry came to Mr. Schue's ears, and he winced at having to deliver bad news to the already stressed out parents.

"Mr. Berry, this is Mr. Schuester, and I'm afraid I have some bad news,"

"Oh…oh no…not our baby girl…" Hiram breathed, and then Mr. Schue heard a loud crash.

"Mr. Berry! Mr. Berry!" Mr. Schue yelled out, and then he heard someone else talking,

"Mr. Schuester, this is LeRoy Berry, I'm sorry my husband dropped his phone. What's going on with Rachel?" LeRoy said worriedly, and Mr. Schue said,

"We're still waiting for word from the doctor, but Rachel's heart…" Just as he was about to deliver the heart-breaking news, the doctor walked into the room.

"Wait Mr. Schue, the doctor's here!" Blaine called, and Mr. Schue hurried over. Kurt took his phone back and pressed the speaker button so Mr. and Mr. Berry could hear how their daughter was doing.

"Rachel's heart did stop momentarily, but we were able to get it started back up again. The dose of medication she was receiving was not enough to sustain her injuries, and her heart gave up. We administered a dose of adrenaline to bring her heart back, and she's fine."

"Fine? What do you mean by fine?" Kurt demanded, and the doctor smiled.

"Fine as in awake and desperate to see her family,"

"Are you serious?" Blaine said in elation as Kurt threw his arms around his neck.

"Thank God," Mr. Schue said happily, and they could all hear Mr. and Mr. Berry on the phone, crying in happiness.

"We're on our way back to the hospital," LeRoy said quickly and hung up.

"We have to go see her," Blaine said immediately, and Kurt pulled on his arm.

"No, we have to go see Finn first,"

"Ah yes, good point," Blaine nodded, and Mr. Schue hesitated.

"Go talk to Rachel and get whatever stupid guilt you seem to be harboring off your chest, Mr. Schuester, we'll go give the others the good news," Kurt said, squeezing the arm of his former Glee club teacher and walked out, arm in arm with Blaine.

Mr. Schue bowed his head for a moment and then went up to Rachel's room, and knocked on the door. "Come in," He heard Rachel's musical voice say, and never before had he been more relieved to hear her voice.

"Rachel?" Mr. Schue said quietly as he opened the door and stepped in.

"Mr. Schue!" She exclaimed, holding her arm that wasn't in a sling out for him. He gingerly wrapped her in a hug, mindful of the wounds on her stomach and chest area.

"I'm so glad you're okay," He murmured, holding onto her for longer than necessary, only to reassure himself that she really was there.

"Mr. Schue, what's wrong?" She asked when he drew back, and his jaw dropped.

"What's wrong? You nearly died, Rachel, and it's my fault!" Mr. Schue said in disbelief, and Rachel sighed heavily.

"Really, Mr. Schue? You're gonna try to blame yourself for this mess? You do realize that Sebastian is the one who shot me, right?"

"Yes, but he shot you while you were trying to protect me! When I was an idiot and came knocking on the door, Sebastian was going to shoot me but you jumped in the way and started fighting him and you nearly died!"

"I have a feeling that Sebastian would've shot me anyway, and when he was startled by you knocking on the door, it gave me a fighting chance. Before that, I was helpless, standing there, waiting to die. But when he went to shoot you, not only could I never let that happen if I could prevent it but I had to get that gun away from him, or die trying. Do you understand what I'm saying, Mr. Schue?"

"Yeah but…"

"Come on, no buts. Those are the facts. You're like a father to me, Mr. Schue, you walked me down the aisle for goodness sake, I wasn't about to stand there and let Sebastian shoot you, then me, and then probably everyone else in that building. In a way, you saved me," She said gently, squeezing his hands.

"It's just been a lot to handle, and when I was in here with you and your heart stopped, I just…" He couldn't continue talking.

"I know, and I'm sorry, the nurses told me about that. I didn't do it on purpose, I promise," She said in a small voice, and Mr. Schue had to laugh at that. He gently tousled her hair and said,

"I know you didn't,"

"Good," She replied, and then suddenly the door banged open. Both of them jumped and stared at the doorway, where a nearly hysterical Finn Hudson stood.

"Oh my God, Rachel," He breathed, and Mr. Schue quickly got out of the way. Rachel wrapped her arm around his neck and started crying as she held onto him tightly. "I thought…I swear to God I thought I'd lost you,"

"I'm not going anywhere," She promised through her tears, and he drew back and framed her face with his hands.

"Am I hurting you?" He worried, and she shook her head with a smile.

"Nope. I love you, Finn, so much, all while I was in that blackness I kept seeing your face, when you first kissed me on the stage at McKinley, when you first told me you loved me, when you proposed and when you first saw me, walking down the aisle," She whispered, stroking his hair.

"I love you too. When I was going crazy in that waiting room, that's all I could think about. How perfect we are together and what a mess I'd be if you…you know…"

"I didn't, and I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, I promise. When I said 'til death do us part, I knew that that wouldn't happen for a very long time. Plus I've still gotta win a few Tony awards,"

"A few? Try a dozen," He murmured, leaning forward and kissing her.

"Sounds good. And Finn, when I was in that coma, I just want you to know that I heard everything you said,"

"Everything?"

"Everything," She said, and kissed him again. "And I love you, so much,"

"I love you too," He said with a smile, even though a tear slipped down his cheek. They shared another kiss as the door banged open once again. Rachel and Finn jumped, and then they turned to see Mr. and Mr. Berry standing there.

"Daddys!" Rachel cried out, and Finn moved out of the way for LeRoy and Hiram to noisily and tearfully embrace their daughter.

"Don't you dare do that to us again!" Hiram said in a fake-scolding voice as LeRoy was too choked up to say anything.

"I won't, Daddy, I promise," Rachel said, the tears starting up again. She reached out with her left hand and intertwined her fingers with Finn's, smiling at him as her dads continued to fuss over her. She let them fuss, as she can't even imagine what it's like to go through days without knowing if your only daughter will live or die.

**Yes, this chapter got to be a bit long, but that's okay. You might think this is the end of this story, but it is definitely not the end. Now we've got to get into the reunion with the rest of the Glee friends, her recovery and her realization about what exactly happened in that bathroom, something she needs to come to terms with. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you're now enjoying this story (now that Rachel is clearly not dead and is going to stay that way).**


	31. Arrested

**Finally chapter 31 has been posted! I know it's been over a year, and I'm so sorry I left you guys hanging! I was stuck for the longest time on where to go with this story, and then Cory died and I had to decide whether to incorporate that into this story or not and then I started college and it was really hard and my personal life just became a big mess.**

**Anyways, I'm slowly finding inspiration for this story again and I pinky promise cross-my-heart that I will not abandon this story again. And if you wonderful readers think I should/shouldn't include Finn's death let me know! Actually let me know if you have any ideas you'd like to see in this story, I'm always open to suggestions!**

**Enjoy!**

Finally Kurt, who was waiting outside, couldn't take it any longer, and neither could Blaine. They burst into the room and Kurt instantly began crying and so did Rachel as he embraced her tightly. "Oh my God you scared the shit out of me!" Kurt sobbed, and Rachel smiled through her tears and she buried her face in his chest.

"I'm s-sorry," Rachel mumbled, and Kurt drew back, framing her face with his hands.

"Diva, don't you _ever _do that to me again, you hear?! Ever! I'm not strong enough to almost lose you three times! Do you understand what I was going through? Thinking I was going to have to go back to NYADA by myself?! You drive me crazy on a regular basis, Rach, but I'd prefer that over having to bury you! Again!"

"You won't, I promise! I don't have any more crazy stalkers!" Rachel swore, and Kurt had to laugh as he pulled Rachel close again.

"And you bet your sweet ass Finn will be coming to New York with us, there is plenty of room in our loft, and he can protect us both, but mainly you," Kurt snapped, glancing over at Finn who smiled at his brother.

"I'm not arguing," Rachel replied simply, and reached up and wiped Kurt's tears away. Kurt smiled at her and then glanced back to see Blaine fidgeting behind him.

"Oh my goodness, I'm monopolizing you," Kurt said and stepped back, pushing Blaine forward.

Blaine fought back tears as he wiped Rachel's tears away. "I missed you," He said simply, and Rachel wrapped her arms around his waist. He pressed his lips to the top of her head and squeezed his eyes shut as a few tears slid down his cheeks.

"I missed you too," She whispered, burrowing into his arms for a few long moments.

"Are you okay? Can I get you anything? Are you in pain?" He asked, drawing back and tucking the blankets in around her.

"I'm fine, Blaine, really," She said, reaching out and stilling his hands, but she winced in the process.

Instantly everyone in the room was on alert and taking steps towards Rachel's bed. Blaine was about to call for the nurse when Rachel shook her head.

"It's fine, it really is, I'm just not supposed to lean that far, really I'm okay," She insisted, moving her legs over so Blaine could sit down and he took one of her hands.

"I'll go let the rest of the club know she's awake," Mr. Schue said, squeezing Rachel's shoulder before walking out of the room.

"Has he stopped blaming himself?" Rachel questioned the room in general, and Kurt nodded.

"He looks like a burden has been lifted off his shoulders. Good job, Rach,"

"I was just telling him the truth. If he hadn't knocked on the door, I would've have had that moment to jump Sebastian, otherwise he would've shot me and then gone out and killed all of you guys too. Basically he's the hero,"

"You're a hero too," Blaine said gently, and Rachel smiled at him as Finn nodded his agreement and leaned down to kiss Rachel.

Mr. Schue walked out into the waiting room and immediately Miss Pillsbury was at his side. "Will, what's going on?" She fretted, and Will smiled at her and kissed her forehead.

"Rachel's awake, lucid and very much alive," He said with a relieved smile, and Miss Pillsbury beamed at him.

"What did you say?" Puck said in disbelief, half-rising from his chair.

"Rachel is fine, she's awake, talking, laughing, smiling, breathing, everything."

"She's alive?" Tina pressed, and Mr. Schue nodded.

"Yes. And asking for all of you, but you have to be gentle, she is still healing from her gunshot wounds," Mr. Schue cautioned, and instantly there was a rush into Rachel's room.

Puck was the first one in the room, and he sighed as he saw Rachel sitting up, laughing at something Finn had just said. "There's my hot little Jewish-American princess," He said with a wry grin, and Rachel threw her head back and laughed as she reached out for him and he hugged her.

"Oh Noah," She sighed, and he smiled into her shoulder.

"Don't worry, as soon as you get outta here I'll give you a real Puckerman hug,"

"I'll be expecting it," Rachel said before kissing his cheek and then she found herself enveloped by Santana.

The Latina began mumbling jumbled up sentences in Spanish, and Rachel held onto her tightly. But there was one phrase she caught: "_hijo de brujo"_

"Te amo, Santana," Rachel murmured quietly, and Santana froze.

"Are you serious? After all the shit I put you through?" She was in shock.

"Yeah, I'm serious. Honestly, Santana, even after all that shit, even through all that shit, I knew you cared about me, and I cared about you. We're family," Rachel said simply, and Santana beamed at her.

"My turn!" Brittany exclaimed, and Santana quickly wiped away any trace of tears. She stood up and went to stand by Puck while Brittany threw her arms around Rachel.

"Careful," Santana cautioned, and Rachel shook her head.

"She's fine,"

"Did I hurt you?" Brittany asked worriedly, and Rachel smiled at the blonde.

"No, no, you're okay," She promised, and Brittany nodded with a grin.

"I'm so happy you're alive! Everyone thought you were gonna die, and that Sebastian guy already is, so,"

"Wait, Sebastian's dead?" Rachel's face went paper white, and Brittany nodded.

"Yeah, he won't ever try to hurt you again,"

Santana and Puck gently pulled Brittany away and Finn immediately replaced her, taking Rachel's hands.

"Oh my God, I killed him," Rachel whispered, her eyes fixated on the blanket in her lap.

"Rach, Rach! Look at me!" Finn said sharply, and Rachel's eyes darted up to meet Finn's.

"I killed him,"

"You did not kill him,"

"Yes I did I was the only other one in that room! One gun, two people, what does that equal, Finn? He didn't kill himself, he was trying to kill me!"

"And you fought back, you fought for your life, you had no other choice," Finn insisted, rubbing her shoulders.

"But I killed him, Finn, I took the life of another human being!" Rachel gasped, close to hyperventilating.

"Rachel! You need to calm down!" Mr. Schue said loudly, standing next to her bed with his hand on her head.

"Rach, sweetie, deep breaths," Hiram instructed, but Rachel couldn't calm down.

"Nurse!" LeRoy yelled out the door, and after a few moments the nurse ran in.

"Miss Berry!" The nurse called over everyone else trying to calm her down. She grabbed a syringe, filled it with a clear liquid and injected it into Rachel's IV line.

A few terrifying moments later, Rachel's breathing slowed and her eyes drifted closed. "What did you do to her?" Blaine asked the nurse, and she replied,

"Gave her a mild sedative to calm her down, she'll be asleep for a few hours,"

"Thank you, nurse," Hiram replied, and she nodded and left the room.

"What are we gonna do?" Kurt asked, rubbing his temples.

"This is killing her, again," Finn said angrily, still holding Rachel by the hands.

"That bastard is dead and he still won't leave her alone!" Blaine burst out, and Kurt squeezed his shoulder.

"What on earth are we gonna do?" Mercedes questioned, and everyone was quiet.

"We're gonna have to help her, somehow," Mr. Schue finally said, and everyone slowly nodded as they watched Rachel sleeping in the bed with Finn's arms around her. Even in her sleep she whimpered, and Finn pressed his lips to her head, hugging her tightly.

"All right, let's all give the lovebirds some privacy," Kurt announced, seeing and correctly interpreting the look in his step-brother's eyes. Finn sent a grateful look his way as everyone slowly walked out of the room, and Kurt was the last to leave. "Just make sure she feels safe, loved, protected and above all, not guilty, okay?" He said softly, looking at his best friend but talking to Finn.

"I'll try," Finn murmured, and Kurt shut the door. "I love you so much, Rach, so very much," Finn whispered, and cuddled her as close as he could without hurting her or disturbing the IV lines and machines surrounding her.

"I remember

Trying not to stare the night

That I first met you

You had me mesmerized

And 3 weeks later in the front porch light

Taking 45 minutes to kiss goodnight

I hadn't told you yet

But I thought I loved you then

Now you're my whole life

Now you're my whole world

I just can't believe

The way I feel about you girl

Like a river meets the sea

Stronger than it's ever been

We've come so far since that day

And I thought I loved you then

And I remember

Taking you back to right where

I first met you

You were so surprised

There were people around

But I didn't care

I got down on one knee right there

And once again

I thought I loved you then

But now you're my whole life

Now you're my whole world

I just can't believe

The way I feel about you girl

Like a river meets the sea

Stronger than it's ever been

We've come so far since that day

And I thought I loved you then

I can just see you

With a baby on the way

I can just see you

When your hair is turning gray

What I can't see is how I'm ever

Gonna love you more

But I've said that before

And now you're my whole life

Now you're my whole world

I just can't believe

The way I feel about you girl

We'll look back someday

At this moment that we're in

And I'll look at you and say

And I thought I loved you then

And I thought I loved you then"

Finn finished singing quietly, and he brushed the hair out of her face as her eyes sleepily blinked open. "That was beautiful, Finn," She sighed, fighting off the effects of the sedative.

"I meant every word," He promised her, kissing her temple.

"I know you did," Rachel breathed, squeezing his hands.

"And I want you to know that…" Finn started to say, but just then the door to her room burst open. "What the hell?" Finn said angrily as two men in suits strode up, with Kurt, Blaine, Rachel's dads and Mr. Schue trailing them.

"Get away from her!" Kurt screamed, but one of the suits blocked him as the other one yanked out a pair of handcuffs.

"Rachel Berry, you are under arrest," And he proceeded to cuff her to the bed.

"Wha-what?" Rachel stammered, tears welling in her eyes.

"Get those off of her! She's not a criminal!" Finn demanded, grabbing onto the man's suit.

"Careful, Mr. Hudson, or I'll arrest you for assaulting a police officer," The man warned, yanking Finn's hands off of him.

"What is she being arrested for?" Blaine demanded to know, holding onto Kurt's shoulders.

"The death of Sebastian Smythe." The detective said, and everyone's jaws dropped to the floor.

**Poor Rachel! She just can't catch a break can she? I'm already halfway through writing the next chapter so it'll be posted as soon as I finish/polish it! Thank you all so very much for reading/sticking with this story even through a whole year of not being finished, you guys are the reason I picked this story back up and started writing again. I hope you enjoyed this latest update, and you'll see the next one hopefully by the beginning of next week! Love to you all!**


	32. Sleeping Guard

**Chapter 32 has been posted! I'm sorry it took me a little longer than usual to post this chapter but I was having a hard time getting this part right. Now the rest of the Glee kids get to see Rachel, and then they all head home, except for a few who stay and help keep watch over Rachel.**

**Enjoy!**

"He tried to kill her twice before!"

"He almost killed her!"

"She nearly died, she didn't kill him!"

"She's not a murderer!"

All these statements and more flew around the room, coming from Finn, Blaine, Kurt, Hiram, LeRoy and Mr. Schue.

"Gentlemen, please, until we have all the evidence processed and all the facts straight, we have no other choice than to arrest Miss Berry! She was the only other person in that room!" The other detective explained, and Blaine strode over to Rachel and yanked the blanket off.

"Do you see her injuries?! Look at her! Do you see them!?" He demanded, and then added harshly, "She didn't give those to herself, Sebastian Smythe did when he tried to kill her. By-the-book self-defense. One of them was going to leave that bathroom in a body bag. End of story."

"I'm sorry, but until the evidence confirms Miss Berry's story, she is under arrest and when she heals fully, she will be transferred to the jail downtown,"

"You can't do this to our baby!" LeRoy bellowed, and the detectives began walking out.

"If it makes you feel any better, we would have had to do the same to Sebastian if the roles were switched. And I mean completely switched," The detective said, and then left the room.

"I am calling those damn FBI agents right now," Hiram said, striding out of the room with his cell phone, and LeRoy hurried after him.

"Rachel, Rach, baby, look at me," Finn pleaded, gripping Rachel's free hand. Her chest began rising up and down rapidly like before, but she managed to tear her eyes away from the door and latch onto Finn's eyes.

"I-I-I," She stammered, and Finn put his hands on her face and pressed his forehead against hers.

"Look at me, sweetheart, look at me and breathe, that's all you need to do, okay? I'm right here, and I sure as hell am not going anywhere. I love you,"

"L-love you t-too," She said slowly, doing as he instructed and she began to calm down.

"None of us are going anywhere, Rach, I swear to God," Mr. Schue muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.

"The FBI agents will sort everything out, and that'll be the end of it." Blaine said rationally, and everyone slowly nodded.

"Can…can I see everyone else now?"

"Of course, sweetie, I'll go get them," Finn said, and Rachel gripped his hand.

"Then you'll come right back?" She asked vulnerably, and he smiled, kissing her softly.

"I promise,"

He got up and left, and Kurt took his spot on the side of Rachel's bed. "Don't worry, Rach, I'll find some fuzzy material to put on this damned thing," He said, caressing the hand that was encased in the handcuff.

"Thanks Kurt," Rachel said with a chuckle.

Meanwhile, Finn went out into the waiting room and saw everyone waiting for him. "Rachel wants to see all of you, but first you need to know something okay?"

"Did it have something to do with those cops that came busting through here by chance?" Quinn questioned, and Finn nodded angrily.

"Unfortunately yes. They handcuffed Rachel to her bed and were threatening to take her to the local jail once she heals, because until the evidence supports her side of the story they have to arrest her."

"Bullshit!" Puck exclaimed, and Finn nodded.

"I agree, but we can't do anything to change their minds. So when you guys go in, don't stare at the cuffs or anything, don't bring it up, okay?"

"No problem dude," Sam said with a nod, and then they all made their way to Rachel's room. None of them really cared about the doctor's orders of only a few people in the room at one time; they had broken that rule more than once anyways.

Mercedes was the first one in the room, and Rachel's eyes lit up when she saw one of her best friends. "Mercedes!" Rachel said with a grin, and Mercedes immediately enveloped her in a hug, one that Rachel was only able to return with one arm.

"Don't you worry about a thing, missy, because we're gonna take such good care of you, you'll be healed up in no time," Mercedes said with a grin, and Rachel chuckled dryly.

"Yeah, out of here and straight into a jail cell,"

"That's not gonna happen," Mr. Schue said firmly, and Rachel sighed. Mercedes knew she was breaking Finn's rule but she grabbed the little diva's hands and squeezed them, saying,

"Listen to me, okay? We'll get this taken care of, and you will not spend one single moment in that jail cell. I promise you that."

"Thanks," Rachel said ruefully, hugging her friend again.

Mercedes stepped aside so Sam could see Rachel. "Oh thank God," Sam sighed before enveloping her in a hug.

"I'm good, Sam, I promise," Rachel assured him, and Sam drew back for a moment.

"I know. You just, you scared me, scared us all, you know?"

"I know," Rachel said warmly, and he dropped a kiss on the top of her head before stepping back. Tina rushed up and threw her arms around Rachel, although Mike tried to hold her back.

"I th-thought y-you were g-gonna d-die," Tina stammered, and Rachel squeezed her as tight as she could.

"I know, and I'm sorry, Tina, I really am,"

"Nothing for you to be sorry for," Tina mumbled as she drew back and wiped her tears away.

"So I've been told," Rachel said, squeezing her hands. Tina smiled at her and then stepped aside so Mike could give Rachel a hug.

"Thanks for not giving up on me," She whispered in his ear, and he drew back, shocked.

"You, you could hear me?"

"I heard bits and pieces of everyone when they were talking to me," Rachel said with a shrug, and Mike grinned at her before squeezing her hands and drawing back.

Artie wheeled up with Sugar next and Sugar threw her arms around Rachel. "I'm so glad you're okay!" She exclaimed, and Rachel laughed as she hugged the enthusiastic girl back.

"Me too,"

Sugar backed away so Artie could reach over and grab Rachel's hands. "Don't worry, Artie, you're the first person who gets a hug when I get out of this bed," Rachel promised him with a smile, squeezing his hands tightly.

"Hey!" Finn protested from the corner and Artie shot him a smug smile.

"That's right. I'm the man," Artie said with a chuckle, and everyone laughed, especially Rachel.

And there was only one more person left in the Glee club to greet Rachel back to the land of the awake.

"Where's Quinn?" Rachel asked, looking around the room for the blonde.

"Right here," Quinn's voice said quietly as she let go of Puck's hand and walked over to Rachel's side. Rachel raised one eyebrow and Quinn rolled her eyes, saying, "Don't give me that look Berry,"

"Then I better get some kind of explanation Fabray," Rachel teased, and Quinn laughed before sitting on the bed and wrapping her arms around Rachel.

"I'll tell you later," She whispered in Rachel's ear, and then drew back.

"All right, now you all need to go home and get some rest. From what Finn's told me, you all haven't left in over 24 hours, and that is ridiculous, so get the heck outta here, I'm okay," Rachel commanded, and that was the moment that they all realized just how tired they were.

After goodbye hugs, the Glee kids slowly filed out, promising to return as soon as possible. After a few minutes, the only people left were Mr. Schue, Finn, Kurt, Blaine and Santana.

Santana walked up to Rachel and sat down awkwardly. "What's up Santana?" Rachel asked with a smile, and Santana cleared her throat.

"I…I need a favor,"

"Sure, anything," Rachel assured her, and Santana glanced at Kurt.

"I talked to Kurt already and he said it was up to you, but I was hoping…you'd let me come with you to New York. We talked about maybe getting an apartment somewhere instead of living in the dorms because it'd be cheaper, and…"

"That sounds really awesome," Rachel said happily, and Santana's eyes grew wide.

"Seriously?" Santana said in confusion, and Rachel nodded with a laugh as she hugged the Latina.

"I'm so excited! You, me, Kurt and Finn all in New York City! We are so taking that place by storm," Rachel insisted, and Kurt snorted,

"Just keep the noises to a minimum, please,"

"Hey!" Finn protested, and Rachel blushed.

"Alright, I'm gonna get some sleep, you should too," Santana said, getting to her feet.

"I will," Rachel said with a nod, and Santana left. She glanced around the room and narrowed her eyes. "Now it's time for all of you to go home too, and get some sleep,"

"I'm not going anywhere," Finn said firmly, and Rachel didn't dare argue with him, not with that look in his eyes. Although, truth be told, she didn't want him to go either, but she wanted him to get some rest. He'd been way too stressed out lately, and Rachel knew she was the cause of it.

"Me neither," Mr. Schue added, pulling another chair over and sitting in it.

"I'm not leaving you," Kurt insisted, and Blaine nodded, squeezing Kurt's hand.

"This is insane, you can't all just sleep here!" Rachel burst out, and Finn sighed.

"Rach, baby, we don't want to leave you here alone,"

"Why? It's not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon," Rachel said bitterly, yanking at the handcuff on her wrist.

"I'm not leaving your side for a second, because those bastards are not gonna come in here and take you to a jail cell," Finn said in a low voice, and Rachel finally understood why the four didn't want to leave here.

"You guys," Rachel said, tears filling in her eyes. "You don't have to do that," She whispered, and Finn pressed his lips to her hand.

"Yeah we do," Blaine said quietly with a smile, and Rachel smiled.

She reached over and pressed the button to call for the nurse. A few moments later a nurse came in and said, "Miss Berry? Is everything okay?"

"Yes, I was just wondering if you can bring four cots in here for my friends please? They're my bodyguards for the night, so to speak," Rachel said with a winning smile, and the nurse nodded with a soft smile.

"No problem, I'll be right back,"

Soon the nurse came back with a few other nurses and four cots. "Thank you so much," Rachel thanked them, and they all nodded before they left and shut the door.

"There's blankets and pillows in the closet," Finn said with a half-smile, and as Blaine, Kurt and Mr. Schue went over to the closet.

"How did you know that?" Rachel questioned, and Finn shrugged.

"You looked cold earlier so I went looking for an extra blanket,"

"You're so adorable," Rachel said with a soft grin, and Finn leaned forward and kissed her.

"Alright, none of that crap while we're spending the night in here," Kurt complained, and Blaine snickered.

"Same goes for the two of you," Rachel retorted, and Kurt opened his mouth to argue when Mr. Schue held his hands up.

"Enough of that, all of you, I'm ready for some sleep," Mr. Schue said firmly, and they all settled down on their respective beds beside Finn.

"You need to sleep," Rachel said quietly, gently touching the dark circles under Finn's eyes.

"Scoot over and I will," Finn said with a smirk, and Rachel's eyes grew wide.

"You're not supposed to…I don't want you to get in trouble,"

"I don't give a damn, I'm holding my wife for the night," Finn said firmly, and Rachel beamed at him as she scooted over. He climbed into bed as quietly as he could and as carefully as he could, avoiding all the machines and tubes she was hooked up to.

Carefully he wrapped his arms around her and they both got comfortable. "I love you," Rachel whispered, and Finn pressed his lips to her temple.

"I love you more,"

"Lies," Rachel murmured as she drifted off to sleep.

Finn blinked as the sunlight hit his eyes and he sat up the best he could, yawning and stretching as he looked down at Rachel. His heart nearly stopped as he saw her lifeless body staring up at him, her skin paper white and her still chest.

"Rach?" He gasped, feeling his entire life just fall apart. A faint flatline could be heard, and Finn took deep breaths as the flatline slowly morphed into a scream.

Finn gasped as he sat up abruptly, and heard someone saying, "No, no, get away from me, please no, no!"

He looked down in the darkness and saw Rachel in the throes of a nightmare. He quickly hugged her close and murmured in her ear to soothe her. Soon she was back asleep, and Finn sighed in relief. It was just been a nightmare.

He glanced over at the three cots and saw that Rachel hadn't woken any of them up, and he wrapped his arms around Rachel as tightly as he could and drifted off again.

**I'm still trying to decide if I should start winding this story down or if I should stay sort of true to the show and *gasp* kill Finn. You guys are the readers, you let me know what you think! Thanks so much for reading and I promise I'll update soon!**


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